Nexus, the Multi-wielder
by NexusMHX
Summary: Goro, a beta tester for SAO was trapped in the VRMMORPG with his younger siblings and friends from the outside world. In this game, Goro, or Nexus must now try to survive the desperate climb up the 100 floors while keeping those that he cares about safe. Now: Months after surviving the game, he's doing his best to deal with his PTSD with his friends and his girlfriend Yuuki.
1. Pilot

**Welcome, everyone to the Adventures of Nexus, the multi-wielder. I want to clarify that this fanfic is going to crossover with the main fanfic which is the tri-way fanfic between, Kingdom Hearts, Hyperdimension Neptunia, and RWBY, so when this fanfic crossovers with the other one, read the others to be clarified on what happens. Anyways disclaimer, I do not own SAO or the characters from the anime, games, or anime, except my Original Characters and certain situations that I'll make for my characters. With that said, I hope you enjoy.**

[November 6, 2022]

"Goro! It's time to wake up!"

A ten-year-old girl was trying to wake up her older brother.

"F-Five more minutes,"

"Wake up! You said to wake you up early! You wanted to be first in line for Sword Art Online." The girl said still trying to wake up the boy named Goro.

"Alright. Alright. I'm up. Go get Shinzo while I get ready."

"I'm up already. Akane basically jumped on me till I woke up."

A boy enters the room who looks a bit younger than his sister, Akane.

"Ouch kid. You got the rough treatment. Ok, you two get out while I change. Then we'll go." said Goro who had a hard time getting out of bed.

Soon after the three kids were waiting in line for the vastly popular MMORPG Sword Art Online game. Iwahashi Goro happened to be a beta tester for the game and worked together with his old friend Kirigaya Kazuto who is one year older than him.

Iwahashi Goro is the second oldest of his four siblings being a twelve-year-old boy who loves to play video games and watch anime. Due to him playing games often, he considers himself a veteran in recent released games and games that came out many years ago. To adapt to this lifestyle and taking care of his siblings, he has taken up cooking for these occasions. Goro happens to look like an average boy while not being muscular and having a small tan. He thinks logically and always plans the future and cares for others.

Iwahashi Shinzo is the youngest of his four siblings being nine years old. Shinzo isn't a big gamer as his older brother as he goes out more during the day and is the sporty person. He is tall for his age of being 5'2, almost as tall as Goro who is 5'5. Due to Shinzo past wins in all kinds of sports even against adults, he developed an ego and is arrogant and impatient which is the complete opposite of Goro who is more relaxed and understanding.

Iwahashi Akane is the second youngest and is the only girl among her siblings. Akane has that cute persona to her looks. She is fairly popular and has many friends at school and is good at keep track of stuff. However, she is very clumsy and knocks over things very easily causing Goro to take more time making sure that she doesn't break anything valuable. She is the shortest one being 4'9.

"We actually got a good spot in line," Goro stated with a surprised expression on his face. He looks behind him. "Guess we came in just before everyone started to make a line."

"We could've lost it because you wanted to sleep a bit more," Shinzo stated with a snarky attitude.

"Yeah, it was my fault. Kazuto and I were in a call till 2 am. We were planning how we were going to play the game."

"You're not playing with us? Asked Akane. She had a sad look on her face.

"No, that's not it. We planned stuff on SAO that is way too difficult for you too and we're going to be playing when you two are sleeping and I'm not letting you two play at that time. Mom and dad would kill us. We'll play during the day, how about that?" said Goro.

"That's fine Big Bro!" Akane said with a more cheerful look that gave Goro to take a deep breath and he looks over at the cashier who signals them come over.

The three siblings were back home after buying two copies of Sword Art Online and the family already had another copy from the oldest brother, Hozumi who is the lead artist in creating Sword Art Online and was able to receive a free copy of the game for his hard work. That was the copy that Goro used for the beta.

12:50 pm

Goro was going over some basic towards his two younger siblings.

Goro says "There are a couple rules on online games. First is that you never say your real name or use it as your username. Second is that you never tell anyone where you live or how old you are… Scratch the first two. Rule one. Never tell anything about yourself, your friends, or your family. Understand?"

The two kids nodded slowly.

"I already knew that. Why are you telling this to me?" ask Shuzo.

"It's a matter of our safety, you should know that. Just making a precaution," states Goro as he looks at the time. It reads 12:58. "Ok, you two. Go to your rooms and sign in. When it says one o'clock sign in immediately. See you both over there. My username will be Nexus as always."

"Ok!" said the two younger siblings as they rushed towards their rooms at record speed. The excited look on both of them brought Goro a small smile as picks up the Nervegear.

Goro quickly logs in as the time slowly reached one o'clock. He closes his eyes at yelled out "Link Start!"

The NerveGear's pre-login checks flashed right in front of him. Soon multiple particles that would make someone have a seizure passed through him. Afterward, the NerveGear shows a notification about Goro's Character Registration. Goro presses the yes button on using the beta-test data. After it says: Welcome to Sword Art Online! Soon, Goro character is calibrated into a town. Goro easily recognized the town as the Town of Beginnings.

"Man, it feels great to be back. Everything looks smoother than the beta which is really saying something," stated Goro who is named Nexus.

Nexus happens to look very similar to Goro except he made himself a bit taller. He also went with a hairstyle he had seen from an RPG that had come out in 2002. He is wielding a one-handed sword. Otherwise, there are no major differences than his real-life self.

"Now, where are those two? They should've told me what username they would use." Said Nexus as he looked around seeing many players spawning. He also sees a surprising amount of girl players which cause him to facepalm. "I can already tell many of these people are guys with girl avatars."

Suddenly Nexus receives a tap on that back as he turns around to see a tall, grey-haired man who looked like a famous sports star. He is wielding a one-handed sword and a buckler. He also sees a girl who looks like an idol he constantly sees on the news who is wielding a knife. The grey-haired man speaks up.

"Would you happen to be Nexus?" Asked the man.

"Yeah, that's me. How, unless… So you guys found me. That was quick. So, what did you guys pick as your usernames?"

The grey-haired man who Nexus sees as Shuzo went first. "I chose Hera. It's short for Heracles who was the god of sports. Seems pretty smart if I say so myself."

"It does fit with your sporty nature. Nice job Hera. What about you little one?" asked Nexus.

"I chose Nirvana. It just popped into my head so I used it. It sounds very feminine." said the girl named Nirvana.

"Perfect! You guys didn't use your real names like last time we played an MMO. Anyway's… Let's head out to the outskirts for the basics." Said Nexus.

Nexus dashes causing Nirvana and Hera to chase after him. They soon reach a place where the three sees a bunch of boars spawn in.

"So, do we do the same in WOW where we just spam skills at them until they die? And Nirvana here will heal us?" Asked Hera.

"We can't really do that. Right, you guys have no idea on how skills work in this game. First, there is no magic in this game." Says Nexus.

"No magic? Phooey. That means I have to get up close and personal. I like long range." Said Nirvana who looked very disappointed in hearing this.

"Yeah. They made a bold move making an RPG with no magic. Anyways, we have to do the appropriate Pre-Motion in order to use these Sword Skills. We can only use skills once the system recognizes the motion. For example that boar over there." Nexus said as he points towards the boar near them. "I'm going to show you the Pre-Motions. You'll feel an explosion of energy being released when, well you'll see."

Nexus rushes towards the Boar as Nirvana and Hera stare at him closely. Nexus attracts the boar's attention as he raises his blade at his waist. Soon the blade turns blue as Nexus swiftly jumps up dodging the boar who was rushing at him. He then turns around and swings his sword horizontally right and flips his wrist and does another slash except it goes left. The boar health bar is reached 0 as the boar goes down into pixels. A screen pops up showing Exp, Col, and Items that Nexus has received. He walks back to his siblings who were clapping.

Nexus bows and says, "Thank you both! You both have been a wonderful audience. So do you understand the principles of Sword Skills?"

"Yep. I understand big bro!" says Nirvana as she takes out her dagger. She positions herself as Nexus did, but nothing happens. "Huh? Why isn't it working? Am I doing it wrong?"

Nexus laughs. "No, it's just that there are different motions for each Sword Skill. You just started so you should have Side Bite… so do the position again. Nirvana does the position of the Sword Skill as Nexus inspects her. "Oh, I see. Your arm needs to be a bit more bent.

Nirvana readjusted her arm as her knife turn brown and dashes and slashes towards the right.

"Eeh. It's decent. I can do that and better." Said Hera as he takes out his sword and gets into position as his sword receives a blue color same as Nexus. He pulls off the same move as him of slashing right and then left. "See. Mine was cooler and it has one more hit."

Nirvana has an annoyed look on her face. "You don't have to be like that, Hera. Jeez, you're so mean."

"Both of you, please stop fighting." Said Nexus. "We're here to have fun, so let's go grind up a bit. We can meet with Kirito later."

"Kirito?" The two siblings questioned the name.

"It's um Kazuto. Anyway's let's go kill some mobs!" yells Nexus as he sends the two a party invite and they accept.

After some time have passed and Nexus levels up to 4 while his siblings had leveled up to Level 3. Nexus also didn't like where the pre-motion of Horizontal arc was, so he switched it to having it more around his waist in a relaxed manner. He was right about to change as he was able to perform it at an easier rate. The three returned to The Town of Beginnings as they enter the weapons store. They browse through the weapons and Nexus… buys one of each weapon type to his siblings' surprise.

"Don't tell anyone, but Hozomi says that there is a special perk if you master every weapon." Whispered Nexus to his siblings. The two siblings looked surprised at this fact. "Anyways, you two should go do some shopping. I need to do a quick errand."

The two siblings rush through the stores as Nexus writes a book with the title: Sword Art Online: Sword Skills and Items for Dummies by Nexus. He swiftly finishes the pre-motion for the skills and the effects of items and makes 10,000 copies and puts it in the shop menu for free. He then meets up with his two siblings as they went to the place where they were going to meet Kirito.

"He's late. Is he going to make us wait?" Said Hera who looked ticked off. "... Oh, shi-"

Nexus shouts "No cursing! What is it?!" He looks at his brother with a shocked face.

"I forgot to do my homework…" Hera says quietly.

"..." Both Nexus and Nirvana were silent as they shake their head in disappointment. "Go log out and do your work!"

Hera jumps a bit and quickly opens his menu and tries to log out.

"Um, how do you log out?"

…

There was a pause where Nexus facepalmed and opened his menu and went to the settings to find out that the login button was blank. He taps it, but it doesn't respond.

"Well the game might still have a few minor bugs, but we should contact a GM for this," said a confused Nexus.

Suddenly Nexus, Nirvana, and Hera were teleported. They reappeared and found themselves back at the center of the Town of Beginnings.

"A forced teleport. I hope this is an intro or something." Says Nexus.

Suddenly, a giant, robed, faceless figure formed from what appeared to be blood in the sky.

"Wow, they really went for the M-rating in this," says Hera who looked confused.

The hooded figure started to speak, "Attention, players. I welcome you to my world." This caused confusion and everyone talked to each other until the hooded figure continued. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba. And as of this moment, I am in control this world. I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu. But this is not a defect in the game. I repeat. This is not a defect in the game, but a key feature of Sword Art Online."

Random people started little outbursts.

"What the hell?!"

"Is this a joke?!"

Nirvana holds Nexus tightly, but he barely notices. He breathes out very faint words before grabbing Nirvana and Hera near the edge of the center of town only to intercept with a barrier. He watches Kayaba very patiently.

Kayaba continues, "You cannot log out of Sao of your own will. And no one on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit powerful microwaves, destroying your brain and thus ending your life."

"Nexus… (Nexus looks at his sister.) If we can't log out then what'll happen to us? Will we see Yuu-" Nexus interrupts her with a quiet ssh and tries to calm her down.

"Nexus, is that true? Can the NerveGear really fry our brains?!" Yells Hera who looked very afraid.

"Yeah. He's right. The transmitter's signal work just like microwaves. If the safety were disabled, it could fry your brain. Something else is up, though."

Kayaba once again continues, "Unfortunately, there have been several instances where players' friends and families have ignored this warning and attempted to forcibly remove the NerveGear. As a result, 213 players have exited permanently, from both Aincrad and the real world." Many news articles popped up around Kayaba. "As you can see, news organizations across the world are reporting on this situation, including the multiple deaths. Thus, you can assume that the danger of a NerveGear being removed has been reduced. So, I would like you all to focus on clearing the game. But be sure to keep this in mind. There is no longer any function to revive someone within the game. The instant your HP drops to zero, your avatars will vanish forever. And simultaneously, your brains will be destroyed by the NerveGear."

"How can he say that like it's nothing?" Nexus looks at his brother and sister and he envisioned them both being killed by boars and fear strikes him. "If what he saying isn't a bunch of bull then, we need to head to the next town and receive all the easy quests. That way, we can have a high enough level to survive. This sounds cowardly, but I got no choice."

Everyone had a shocked face.

"The one condition for your escape is to complete this game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, floor one. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on floor 100 and you will clear the game."

"Defeating the game?"

"No one in the beta beat the game."

"Are you crazy?!"

"Now then, finally, I've provided you all with a present in your item storage. Please see for yourselves."

Hera and Nirvana quickly open their inventories and took an item which happened to be a mirror. After seeing the item Nexus did the same. They looked in the mirror and a bright light appeared. When the light disappeared, Nexus looks at his siblings, to see that they looked like their real-life selves. Hera was the first to comment on what happened.

"What happened? Why the heck do you guys look like that?"

"The NerveGear covers your entire head with a high-density signaling device. It can see what your face looks like. But our body figure, when we first put on the NerveGear, there was something called calibration. We had to touch our bodies all over."

Nirvana was embarrassed as well as freaking out as her brothers looked at her as she was inspecting herself.

"Hera… B-Bi-Big Bro! Please never speak about this…"

"N-noted sis. Hera. When we get out of this game, we will never speak of this day."

"Right. Nothing bad. Again… why is this a thing?"

"I believe Kayaba will explain," says Nexus trying to be calm.

"Right now, you must all be wondering, "Why?" "Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do such a thing?" My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason… To create this world and meddle in it. And now, all is complete. This ends the tutorial for the Sword Art Online launch. I wish you luck, players." The hooded figure was glitching out and disappeared.

Nexus reached out his hand to where the barrier was and it was gone. Soon he saw a figure that looked like Kazuto and grabbed his siblings to the area that Kazuto ran away. He soon sees him with a red-haired person with a bandana.

"Kirito! Is he a beta tester?"

"Nexus? Yeah, Klein. He is."

"Thank god, I found you Kirito," Nexus looks at the man named Klein. "Hello, and yes I'm a beta-tester. I'm Nexus." Nexus then introduced his siblings. "The guy over here is Hera. And this little goober is Nirvana. It's a pleasure to meet you and I wish this was a better scenario."

"Dammit. I forgot about your siblings. We've got to be extra careful now." said Kirito.

"Yeah, that's the problem. We've gotta watch over them at all times and this will really hinder our progress," said Nexus while he was thinking, before planning his next move.

"Then we'll just grind!" said Nirvana which shocked Nexus a bit.

"Grind? I mean I guess. Kirito. It's ok to tag along with you, right?" asked Nexus.

"I don't mind. More people the better. And Klein. You said you're going to be with your friends, right? Best of luck." says Kirito as Nexus, Nirvana, and Hera walk towards his side. Nexus sends Klein a friend request.

"If you ever need help, with grinding or such, let me know. I'll be there to help ya. Take care!" said Nexus.

The four runs away from Klein as he mumbled something before running back to central square.

"Kirito, if I remember correctly there was a mid-boss on the road to the next town. Should we fight it or hurry up on through?"

"Fight it. I met with Argo before seeing Klein. She said that this boss drops more exp then the beta and good beginning armor." said Kirito.

"If this is a first to kill and never respawn boss, then how does she know?!" wondered Nexus.

"Don't ask me! All of her info has been legit so might as well to just keep on trusting her!"

"Fine, but if this is false, we're going to have a word with her!"

"Mind, letting us in your conversation? Unlike you two, Nirvana and I weren't in the beta," asked Hera would an irritated look.

"On the way to the next town, there's a giant centipede that serves as a middle-level boss. If we fight it, we'll get all the good stuff for ourselves and split it evenly. And, if I remember correctly, it's weak to spears?" said Nexus.

"Yes, but you don't have one. Why bother asking?" said Kirito as he just slashed a wolf before continuing to run with them.

Nexus opens his menu as he gets behind his siblings and switches his sword to a spear which shocked Kirito. "I got one of every weapon type as usual. You should know by now, that I would do something like this."

"You have a point. That looks like it over there." Kirito said as he points to the massive centipede. It's two bars of health was shown.

Kirito activates Rage Spike and was able the stab the body, but the bug shrugged it off and tried to pinch Kirito but Nexus countered with Fatal Thrust and the five stab sword skill seemed to have injured the boss quite a bit. Nexus yelled Switch and ducked down as Kirito prepared Horizontal Arc and each slice cut off a pincer. Hera then followed with the same sword skill at the same time, but both did minimal damage. However, the boss seemed to lost half a bar of health.

"Wait, where's Nirvana?!" shouted Hera as he looked around. Nexus saw her just standing in the middle of the road. He realized something.

"F*ck, she's afraid of centipedes. I forgot. That of all things!" said Nexus before running to her sister and trying to calm her down. She's fine with other bugs but now centipedes for whatever reason. "Hey kid, this boss thing is a one-time thing, I promise. After that, you'll never have to fight another one after this."

Nexus's words of reasoning weren't going through her as Kirito and Hera were having a difficult time trying to keep the centipede at bay, but were constantly getting pushed back.

"Akane!" Nexus said as he shaken her back into reality. "Get a grip! I know this is a lot to take in. But, we can't just stand around and do nothing. We gotta get back outside. Mom, Dad, Hozumi, Aiko, and Yuuki can't comprehend what's happening right now. If something were to happen to us, they'll go ballistic. I won't let that happen. I'll keep Kirito, Hera, and you safe. But you've got to work with me. Alright?"

"Y-Yes, bro!" said Nirvana still shaken, but a bit braver.

"Great. Now let's take care of this thing," said Nexus as both of them went to fighting the centipede. "Switch!"

Kirito just landed another Rage Spike and noticed Nexus rushing in with his spear as he jumped to the left as Nexus's weapon glows purple. Nexus activates Fatal Thrust at the belly of the centipede and the impact of the spear caused the centipede to be incapacitated for a bit as Kirito, Hera, and Nirvana constantly slash it all over its body. Its bar of health went to about a quarter of the final bar as Nexus jumps back and his weapon turns a brown color and throws his spear at the eye of the centipede which seemed to do the final blow as the bar went to zero and the monster exploded into particles. Everyone got a load of exp that raised everyone's level by 2.

"Let's see what we got later. Let's head on to the next town." said Kirito "Medai Village should be up head."

Everyone nodded and they all started to continue running. It wasn't for another good solid hour before they made it to the Hanai Village. It was a pleasant village near a lake with wooden houses.

"This place, was where I met Argo, right? I remember this is where I learned about the Anneal Blade. Boy that was a fun quest." said Nexus as he remembered the times of the beta. "Anyways I'll go accept some quests around here so go rest up at the inn."

Nobody had any objections as they all looked exhausted, probably from the fight against the centipede. They went ahead of Nexus as he went from NPC to NPC and trying to get a few spare quests. After getting 4 quests, he went to the inn and Kirito had him follow to their room.

"So what did we get from the boss? I expect some decent gear," said Nexus as everyone took out what the system gave them for beating the boss.

"A broadsword, three times as strong as the one you have, Nexus. Umm, two knives, two sets of armor, one for males and one for females, and 7 healing potions with 3 teleporting crystals." counted Hera.

"Well, this looks like a major success. We have a severe lead against the other players," said Kirito with a smile.

"But, what about those who don't know how to play the game? I feel bad for them. They don't have anyone like you, big bro and Kirito to help themselves survive this game. Won't they die?" asked Nirvana with a worried look.

"Don't worry, I wrote a quick manual on how to use skills and items before the big announcement because this game doesn't have a tutorial. They should be fine if they follow all the steps properly," said Nexus.

"..." Kirito was very silent about the subject. Nexus, however, saw this and signaled him to walk outside and he silently followed.

 **Oh boy, everyone is locked up in this death game. How will Nexus keep himself and those close to him from losing this death game? What does he want with Kirito and what's his next move? If you see something that you hate about this Fanfic or have any question, you can tell me in the comment section, and I'll be glad to reply to your questions. With that being said, hope you had a wonderful day! This is masterstarman1002 signing off.**


	2. Nexus

**Hey guys, how's it going. Sorry but this chapter should've been added like two weeks ago and I apologize for the delay. It's just that SAO Integral Factor came out and all. I had a lot of fun playing that game. Nexus came out to talk to Kirito. What's it about? And what will happen next? Shoot if I know.**

"So what would you like to talk to me about, Nexus? By your tone, you sounded very serious." Said Kirito while looking at his friend.

"Don't think you can pull some of that bs on me. This isn't my first MMO. I'm being very serious here. We can't afford to lose you."

"I don't understand what you mean. What are you talking about?"

"Kaz- I mean Kirito. In all the years I've known you, you have a knack of going off by yourself when it comes to certain events, and let me guess. You want to go off by yourself. C'mon admit it. It's true. Isn't it?" Asked Nexus with a serious face.

"Wow, you can see me through like an open book. Yeah, I was planning on leaving after we finished with some of these quests to do some grinding on my own. You remember that players level up faster if we're not in a party." said Kirito with a serious glance.

Nexus looks at his friend and he noticed that Hera and Nirvana was peeking around the corner trying to listen into their conversation as Nexus sees them and asks them to come out.

"You know kids, it's rude to eavesdrop, but I guess you two should be part of this conversation." said Nexus as he sends Kirito a trade request and hands over half of his col and the special beginning amour.

"What the. You don't need to give it to me." said Kirito as Nexus had finished the transaction.

"Look take it. It'd be bad on my consciousness if I didn't. If you died and I couldn't even helped you survive, then how would I look at Suguha or your parents again. I know that I can't change your mind on this matter so take it. And send me a message every once in a while. Just because you're going to be a solo player doesn't mean that we can't do quests together. It'd be perfect for these two." said Nexus with a sadden look.

Nirvana just stares at Kirito before hugging him deeply and Hera doing the same. The two kids were most likely bawling their eyes off as they tried to look tough. Nexus gives Kirito a handshake before Kirito runs off into the night and Nexus looks into the empty night before going inside the inn. He equipped the new katana that he acquired and went to the shop to buy updated gear for the other two and when he returned they were already fast asleep in their beds so he left the two alone as he walked out to the field and looks through his equipment list before taking out his brand new Katana and watches closely to enemies around him. He sees Little Nepenthes which are ironically huge for their name and it has huge roots for its lower body and has arm-like vines with pointed leaves attached to both sides of its body.

Nexus quickly swings both of his arms to the right side of its body and its blade glowed white as he unleashes the Sword Skill Zekku which lets him slice horizontally to the left and instantly kills the plant type monster because of the high damage the Katana has. Nexus sighes as he equips a weaker Katana and starts fighting more plant monsters.

Many hours later

Nexus pants as he checked his menu as sees that he has a mastery of 153.6 for the katana skill tree and grabbed three more sword skills. However, he didn't gain any levels as he left all the monsters with low health for other players so they would be able to catch up quicker. He was exhausted as he looked through the menu and sees that the time was 5:04 in the morning.

'I could get a couple of hours of sleep. Even though this body is just data, my mind needs its rest. I shouldn't over work myself, but I need to get stronger.' thought Nexus as he enters his inn room and falls asleep on his own bed.

A couple hours later he feels something tugging his shoulder as he tries to sleep some more but whoever was waking him up was pretty determined.

"Big bro! Wake up! We have to go to school soon," said Nirvana as she tried her best to wake up Nexus. "Fine, I'll wake up Shinzo. Shinzo! Please wake up and help me with big bro!"

Nirvana shakes Hera and he wakes up almost instantly.

"Huh, Akane? Is it time for school already?" asked Hera who seemed a bit dazed. "It's eight? Oh crap! We're late."Hera gets up and realizes that he was in his SAO outfit and sees Nirvana in her new equipment. "That's right. We're still in SAO."

Nirvana looks at Hera and realizes that she wasn't in the real world and dropped down onto the floor shivering at the events that happened the previous day. "T-That's r-right. W-W-We're stuck in this game."

"Eugh… I feel so tired." said Nexus who just got up and sees Nirvana on the floor and gets down onto the floor to comfort her. "Hey, sis. It's ok. What's wrong? You can tell me anything you little goober."

"Y-Yeah. It's ok, Akane. We'll be fine for now." said Hera who was trying to keep a straight. "What happened to Kazuto? Wasn't he here with us?"

"... Kirito left remember. We saw him off last night. Anyway's hope you both got some rest as we'll be taking on some quests that I accepted for us earlier." said Nexus as he slowly gets up and motions his siblings to follow after him and they make it to the front of the inn and Nexus hands the two a piece of bread each. "You two should eat. While our bodies may be digitized we should just keep the habit of eating. That and it restores our hp a bit."

Everyone bit their bread as they walked through the field and sees other players starting to gather all over the place and Nexus sighs as he had hoped that others would have appeared way later. Nexus opens his menu and equips a broadsword on his back and looks at the quest logs.

"So, we have a few fetch quests. It's just us grabbing twenty thorns from the plant monsters for two quests and five tusks from the boars. Then we have to kill 20 wolves. Nothing too horrible." said Nexus as he gets his huge broadsword ready as he dashes through the field with his siblings in tow and rushes to a plant monster that was paying attention to another player.

Nexus swings his arm to the right and unleashes the Blast Sword Skill knocking down the plant type monster and Hera rushes in with Rage Spike stabbing the monster down long enough for Nirvana to cast Side Bite and slices the monster as it explodes into crystal pieces. Nexus legs start to tremble but he shrugs it off as he continues to fight off plant monsters and boars for a couple of hours.

A few hours later, Nexus was taking a break under the tree back at the village while Hera and Nirvana went to go turn in the quests and collect their rewards and he thought he heard something strange. With the col he got from killing the enemies he equips a better rapier just to be swift in his strikes and he believes will be the easiest to level up in sword mastery. Nexus looks around and sees nothing wrong, but he heard something again. It sounded like a girl screaming and it sounded fairly close. He decides to check it out to find a plant monster attacking Nirvana, but different have her special armor on which confuses him but he dashes at high speeds at thrusts his rapier into the plant monster with Linear as the monster exploded into particles. Once he finishes he go checks on his little sister.

"Hey, sis. What the hell are you doing out here and what happened to your armor?" Nexus asked the brown haired girl. The girl just looked at him with confusion.

"Um, who are you?" asked the girl to Nexus's confusion.

"Um, I'm Nexus. Sorry, I think I thought you were someone else. You okay?"

"Oh, yes. I'm fine thanks to you. My name's Silica. It's nice to meet you." said Silica.

'Jeez, she looks like my sister. I think I'm started to see things.' thought Nexus. "Well, Silica, want to join my little group? It's just me and my two siblings and we're more ahead than most of the other players in terms of items and col."

"Well, I guess so. Sure, thank you Mr. Nexus." said Silica with a smile.

"Mr.? I'm not even fourteen. Just call me Nexus." said Nexus at the two walked into the village and he was able to see his two siblings as they ran up to him.

"Hey bro. We got all the stuff from the NPCs. We now have triple the amount of coll from when we started this morning." said Hera as he was pumped himself up.

"That's nice to hear you two. Next, I would like you two to meet Silica. She's going to be joining us during our time in SAO." Nexus said as he introduced Silica.

Nirvana takes a look at Silica and noticed that they looked the same. They looked so similar people would think that there was a mirror except the clothes were a bit off and height was different.

"Um, big bro… We kinda look the same." said Nirvana as she continues to look at Silica who was also confused.

"You see it too. Good looks like I'm not crazy. I noticed it earlier. Well if Silica is going to join us, then something has to differentiate the two of you. Even with the separate outfits, it's still going to be a bit hard." said Nexus.

Hera looks at the two and quickly asks the girls to stand back to back from each other.

"Well, Silica is a taller and Nirvana is wearing the outfit. How about a weapon difference? Nirvana said that she wanted to change weapons from a knife to a spear," said Hera.

"That could work. Then Nirvana will have a spear while Silica will have the knife. Well things are great." said Nexus as he thinks for a bit. 'Well, I think everyone should get to know each other, so maybe we should level up some non-battling skills. As long as we're going to be in this game, we should be stronger yes but I believe we shouldn't put our lives on halt. We should still enjoy life.' "Well if we're going to be together, I think that we should level up on our other skills. You know, the ones not meant for battle."

"Other skills outside for battle?" asked Silica as Nirvana equips an iron spear.

"Yeah, SAO's skill system isn't limited to just fighting and buffs. There's also skills like cooking, sewing, etc." explained Nexus as he opened his menu and showed it to everyone.

"And why should we even focus on that? Our job is to get through this game as fast as we can so we can get back to our real lives." exclaimed Hera who wasn't pleased at his brother's next choice of action.

"What are you talking about Hera? It's the most essential thing to do next. We're ahead of the other players and yes, but I don't want us to suffer in this game. My job is to take care of you and your sister and our new party member. So we need to do three things. 1: Get to know each other and get used to each other's company, 2: to enjoy life in this game. I mean if we're going to be stuck in this game then might as well enjoy it a bit, and 3: these support skills can lead into more essential buffs like healing skills that heals us over time." said Nexus as he looks through the skill tree.

"It does sound like a good thing. I can agree with that strategy." said Nirvana. "Wow. This sewing skill looks pretty cool. Hey, Silica. Want to try it together?"

"Sure! That sounds like lots of fun." agreed Silica as the two look through their skill trees.

"I guess, I'll take a look at this cooking skill."

"Well, Nexus. You always enjoyed cooking. Sure. Uhh, I guess I'll do blacksmithing. I've tried once in another game and it was kinda fun." said Hera.

'Wooh. This'll keep them occupied for a while. While they're busy, I'll occasionally sneak off and max out my weapon skills.' thought Nexus as he signal the others to follow him back to the inn.

The room had its own kitchen and Nexus ordered Silica her own room just for good measure and the four go to Nexus's room and talks about how to level their skill trees, while Nexus tries to make something using the boar and wild herbs to make a dish. It was harder than he thought as he occasionally looked at the others to find they had needles and balls of yarn that came from drawers. Hera went out to a nearby blacksmith store to work on his skill tree. After a while, Nexus was able to cook dinner and made roasted pork with a side of veggies that actually looked edible to his surprise. He did a quick taste test and he didn't know it would taste fine, even though the Cardinal System probably made it taste worse. Just before he served it Hera came back into the room all dirty with a new iron sword as Nirvana and Silica moved away from him.

'Well, he got something done.' thought Nexus as he forces his brother to take a shower while the girls eat before joining them himself.

"Wow, big bro! This tastes amazing! Just like your cooking in real life." exclaimed Nirvana with her mouth open, but clear enough for the others to understand.

"Thanks sis, but don't talk with your mouth open. It's bad etiquette. Chew first, swallow, then you can talk." nagged Nexus before eating his pork.

"Um, Nexus? Are you two related by any chance?" asked Silica.

"Hmm. Yeah, Nirvana here is my little sister and Hera is my even younger brother in real life. Let's not talk about it for now though, k?"

"Ok, then."

*Bang

The door slammed open with that loud bang as Hera who looked freshly clean took a seat before eating. Nexus sighed a bit, but lets it go and everyone talks about how their experiences went.

"Me and Silica were able to make some clothes, though they don't offer anything in terms of stats."

"Well, the Cardinal System wouldn't just give you something like that right off the bat. Otherwise, armour stores wouldn't be necessary and thus made pointless."

"Yeah, like this sword. Because my skill level is so low, the dang iron sword that I made is way weaker than our starting equipment."

"Well, if we continue doing this, then we'll eventually be ahead others in weapon forging and armour. That's why certain skills are worth taking the time to level up. We can gain massive boosts by just taking a small time to grind for a bit. Plus, we could even make some col by selling our equipment." explained Nexus as he finishes his food. "Btw, food in Aincrad or um SAO, can expire after a while, just to let you guys know."

"Wait, what?! Kayaba added that as a feature?!" exclaimed Hera.

"Yeah, it was in the beta. That much shouldn't have changed into the real game so we can't waste any food."

"Phooey. I'm going to get fat." muttered Nirvana.

"Um sis, you do know that you can't get fat in this game, right? In the end, it is still just our brains. Other parts of our body won't be affected by this game."

"Oh right. I forgot big bro!" said Nirvana before yawning. "I'm getting a bit tired."

"Same here. That smithy was energy-draining." complained Hera as he flops down on his bed with his sister at the same time and they both fell asleep instantly.

"Jeez those two. They're so undignified, but to be fair, I'm the same."

"Heh, you sound like a good older brother, always taking care of them even though you're busy." said Silica.

"Guess, you found the good side of me. The other side of me is playing games till the break of dawn."

"Even still, you sound like a responsible person. I'm glad that I met you today."

"Et tu, Silica. Good night."

"Good night," Silica responded before she went to her room.

'Well, guess another night of grinding my sword mastery.' thought Nexus as he left the inn to the fields. He takes out his rapier and starts fighting monsters, killing them to level up. However, he killed monsters all night, but barely went up one level to Level 8 because all the monsters were so low leveled. Even still, his rapier skill leveled up even quicker due to have fast he went.

…

When Nexus sees sunlight, he hurries back to the inn to rest for a while before taking the others on small fetch quests and then coming back to the room to improve their other skills. This process repeats for almost a month and Nexus was Level 14 while the others were Level 10. He was completely drained of energy from the long hour as he took only one day off to just rest and sleep.

Later that next day, he wakes up to see a notification. Someone had sent him a message as he secretly walks out the room to check who the message came from. It was a message from Argo the rat. She was a info breaker that Nexus knew during his time playing other MMOs and the beta for SAO. 'Argo. Why is she messaging to me after a month of inactivity? She sometimes give up a certain customers, but maybe it's because I knew her for a while. Might as well see what it has to say.'

"Hey, Ne-bou. (That was Argo's nickname for Nexus) People have found the labyrinth for this floor already and people wanted me to message you because you helped people with the tutorial. Real charming that you made a guide book for all the newbs. I could've gotten some money, but this is even better. Anyways, someone named Diaval is leading a raid group for defeating this boss and payed me a lot to ask if you would like to be one of the commanders. There will be a meeting in two days at Tolbana, so consider it or not." said Argo's message.

'Straight to the point, huh. So this Diaval is a beta tester as well or not? The name does ring a bell though. Alright then. If Argo believes that the labyrinth has been found then this is important that we head there immediately. I should tell the others.' thought Nexus as he walks to the others.

"What's up Nexus? You look like you got some news." asked Hera.

"Yeah, the labyrinth for the floor boss has been found. The leader of the raid group wants me to attend the meeting and I'm just wondering if you guys are going to come with me."

"Of course we're coming big bro. I'm not letting you face something like that all by yourself."

"I agree with Nirvana. You've done so much for us. I want to help you clear this game." said Silica with a smile.

"Alright then. We're headed off to Tolbana Town then. Let's go."

Nexus and the others walk out of the village as he looks around. He sees the occasional player fighting one of the Frenzy Boars. Tolbana town isn't that far from the village and it only took about half a day of walking as the sun is setting. Once they reached the town, Nexus sees a shop and looks through the items to find a guidebook made by some beta testers.

"This… is that boss info on this floor's boss. Illfang the Kobold Lord? That thing was a pain in that ass. Let's see. When red it switch into a talwer… This looks like Argo's work." said Nexus as sees Hera renting an inn to stay in.

Once inside the others quickly fall asleep as Nexus checks his equipment. During the month, he was able to get a rare armor called the Token of Wisdom which is a white jacket boosted Nexus's intelligence and causing his skills to charge faster. Hera had also become proficient in his blacksmithing skill as it reached 200 recently and he upgraded everyone's weapons. Nexus gets up quickly and exits the inn before looking around for Argo. He was able to see a cloaked-yellowed haired girl near an alleyway as he walks through.

"Ah, Ne-bou! Looks like you took Diavel's offer. I heard Kii-bou is going to be part of the raid." said Argo.

"Kirito? Well, ok then."

"Looks like you have something to ask. What is it?"

"I don't know. Asking you for favors could send me to hell. Knowing the stuff you do."

"Sorry, pal. Business is business after all. Tell you what, I give you a friends discount."

"Boosh, Argo. Anyways two things. One, why did you contact me after a whole month of inactivity. For all you know, I could've been going to another info broker."

"That's easy. Because I'm the best and you know it. We been doing business for two years now. And what's your second question?"

"What can you tell me about Diavel? I felt like I've seen the name before."

"This one is going to cost you. Diavel was a beta-tester for Sao. He was a con artist back then but now he's seem to change and likes to help people, however one incident was strange. He asked me to contact Kirito for his Anneal Blade."

"Kirito has the Anneal Blade? Well that's fun. How did he know?"

"Word gets around after all. Anyways, no matter what, he kept on asking until he gave up. Then he asked me to message you."

"Really. He does sound a bit suspicious. I see. Thanks, Argo." said Nexus before tossing his friend a small bag of cor. "Hope you don't die."

"Same to you, ya little punk."

The next morning.

Nexus is out with Silica, Nirvana, and Hera as they walked to Tolbana's Amphitheater and at the stage was a man in a bronze armor set and had blue hair.

'Let's see who this Diavel really is.'

(Stats: Team)

Nexus: Level 14

1-handed Sword: 1000 mastery

Rapier: 579.3 mastery

2-handed Broadsword: 621.0 mastery

Spear: 492.1 mastery

Knife: 642.4 mastery.

Axe: 472.4 mastery

Katana: 972.5 mastery

Scimitar: 219.6 mastery

Club: 113.7 mastery

Cooking skill: 210 mastery

Sneaking Skill: 175.2 mastery

Battle Healing: 64.2 mastery

Hera: Level 11

1-handed Sword: 320.9 mastery

Smithy: 207.5 mastery

Parry: 210.4 mastery

Nirvana: Level 11

Knife: 60.2 mastery

Spear: 254 mastery

Tailoring: 245.1 mastery

Silica: Level 11

Knife: 264.1 mastery

Tailoring: 245.1 mastery

"So, how does this thing go again. We just press a button and that's it to buy this rapier, right?" asked a girl with black hair and the standard default armor for females. Next to her was was with another guy with black hair and a cloth armor.

"Yeah, Koharu. You just press the button and then press the blue circle. It's simple."

"Gosh, Ren. You make this look so easy though. You're way better at this game then I am." said the girl named Koharu.

"Nah not really. Hey. Do you think that Kirito will be here?"

"I hope so. We'll just have to see. Let's go. The meeting is going to start in an hour."

 **Ahh, last-minute additions. Those are something that I always hate. Koharu from Integral Factor will be implemented in the series! Yay! Never thought that I would that. Also, I added Silica, because she was barely seen in the anime. And sure the manga is different and all, it's just eugh. I don't have the money for the manga and even still, manga park is weird to me, so I guess I'll endure it and keep it as canon as possible. Also, Nexus's skills are ridiculously high for a reason. You'll see later. Until then. masterstarman1002 is signing off!**


	3. Illfang Catastrophe

**Yo, what's going on my dudes! How's it hanging? Hope you guys are having a fantastic day, really do. We've finally getting to the good stuff. We're doing a boss battle! Let's go! I won't keep you guys waiting long. Also, I know Integral Factor has barely been out, but I like to add the unnamed protag, who is named Ren in this game because Nexus was taken, and Koharu. Parts of the game will have scenes from the game, but not a lot.**

Nexus walks to the stage as he sees a blue-haired individual with similar color armor and a bronze chest piece. He had light grey leggings and a sword and shield strapped to his back. Nexus signals that Silica and the others take a seat while he goes talk to the supposed leader of the raid. He walks up to he thinks his Diavel and catches his attention.

"Hello, you must be Diavel, right? I'm Nexus. It's a pleasure to meet you." said Nexus as he shakes hands with Diavel.

"Ah yes. Thank you for accepting my invitation. It's noble that you would help everyone with your guide of Skills and Items for Dummies, though I believe that the title should be different. Many people were able to survive thanks to your help."

"Nah, it was nothing. Even with the guide 2000 innocent lives still died from what I heard. This game doesn't have a tutorial NPC, and I actually wrote that thing before the big Kayaba announcement. So, you found the dungeon that leads to the Floor 1, boss?"

"Yeah, that's right. However, it would be a pleasure if you would help us in the raid. You must have skills that other people like us don't have. It would be best that you are a commander in this battle."

Nexus thought about it for a bit. If he were a commander, there would be a good chance that he would get the last attack bonus and possibly a nice piece of equipment, but he dropped the thought almost instantly. He didn't need any particular equipment at the moment, plus his coat was good enough with its intelligence boost. He however still wanted to fight the Floor Boss and hurry up to Floor 2.

"Sure, I'll be a commander. Only for this battle though. After that, I'm going with my party to another town on Floor 2. That's where we'll part ways for the time being."

"That's fine. As long as you stand with us in this battle, there are no worries. Well, the meeting is about to start, so can you please stand here for a bit, while I address the crowd?"

"Go wild," said Nexus as he examines the crowd. He sees Kirito in the crowd, and he was able to see Nexus as well.

Kirito looks around and sees Nirvana and Hera with Silica who he didn't recognize. He looked like he was with the cloaked girl even though they were so far apart from each other. Maybe they'll be the outcasts. Nexus looks around and sees two other people all to their lonesome. One was a girl with long black hair, a rapier, and the standard armor. She looked like she was fourteen or fifteen. She was with a boy who looked like the same age and had a standard armor set with short black hair and an Anneal Blade on his back which shocked him. Nexus could tell that it was the Anneal Blade based on the handle and remembered it from the beta.

"Thanks to everyone for coming! I'm Diavel, and in this game, the job I rolled is a knight!" said Diavel.

"Ha ha! Dude, there's no job system in this game!" said someone from the crowd as everyone laughed.

"Now then…" Diavel starts, but then suddenly his attention was caught as a brown-haired man who looked like he was in his mid-20s jumped onto the theater.

"Hold on a sec! My name's Kibaou, got that? Before we take on the boss, I wanna get something off my chest." Everyone looks at him attentively. "We all know about the people who died so far, yeah?! Some of you gotta apologize to them right now! I'm talking to you ex-beta testers! They ditched us the day this game started! They snagged the good quests and hunting spots! Ignoring us like we're nothing!"

That was when a dark-skinned, man with a silver chest piece and black pants stood up. He wielded a giant battle axe as he walked to the man.

"Hey! My name is Agil. Can I say something?" Kibaou nods a bit in response. "So you want the ex-beta testers to apologize and give up their winnings, Right?" asked the tall man named Agil. He takes out a guidebook that catches Nexus's attention. It was his Skills and Items for Dummies book. It looks like everyone is talking about it. "You got one of these guidebooks, didn't you? The item store handed them out for free."

"Yes, so?" questioned Kibaou.

"I was the one who wrote it. Names Nexus." Nexus said which caught the attention of everyone. "Skills and Items for Dummies. Look at the last page. It has my signature and a picture, of my avatar, before the face thing ma jig."

"You wrote it? So you're a beta tester?"

"Course I am. I'm willing to admit it. But I'm not here as a beta tester. I'm here as a player fighting for their life. We're all players gather around for the same purpose. Beating the Floor Boss and being one step closer to freedom from this game."

There was some quiet chattering through the crowd as everyone was unsure about Nexus's position.

"Now as you can see. Nexus here wrote this guidebook, and other beta-testers just released a new version meant for the Floor Boss. Some of the beta testers tried to help us by giving us all tips in combat and items and people still read, but some of us still died." said Agil as he addresses the crowd.

Kibaou looks at Nexus with a stern look.

"Thank you, Agil. Now, Kibaou. If you have any problems with me, please address it after the meeting. Some of us want to actually get out as soon as possible."

There were small cheers from the crowds as Kibaou walked to the bleachers and took his seat. Agil did the same. Hera gives Nexus a thumbs up as Nexus did the same while looking at his siblings and his friends. Diavel went over the Illfang the Kobold Lord and the weapons the boss has and explained the fact that he has disposable minions with him. After that, Diavel introduces Nexus as a commander while telling everyone to break up into groups. Nexus casually walks to Agil.

"Hey, Agil. Thanks for sticking up with me back then. Not a lot of people would do something like that. Especially to help beta-testers of all people in this game." said Nexus.

"It was no problem. You helped so many players so it was the least that I could do."

"Well it was a nice thing, so thanks again," said Nexus as he walks to Hera and the others.

"Ah, big brother," exclaimed Nirvana as she jumped into Nexus arms. "I thought something was going to happen to you."

"Nah, it's fine. Agil over there saved me. He could be a good friend to have and has that shopkeeper feeling to him. So, now what? Should we try to join Kirito's group or do you think that we're too cool for him?" asked Nexus expecting an obvious answer.

"While he did ditch us, a boss battle is still a big thing with a high chance of dying. We should try teaming up with his group, trying to bring the percentage down as much as possible," said Hera.

"Yeah, you guys stay here, while I go ask the loner." Nexus walks away chuckling at what he called his old friend.

Nexus sees the guy with the Anneal Blade walk with Diavel to a private location leaving the girl all to herself, as Nexus walks to Kirito who was talking to a hooded player.

"Hey, Kirito. How's it hanging?"

"Ah, Nexus. It's been going ok, I guess. I see you've gotten some kind of reputation at the meeting."

"I guess so. Hey, wanna be in a party together for the raid? Small parties are always going to have a high chance of death, so let's make our party big, but not too big. Don't want to aggro the boss onto us."

Kirito looks at the hooded figure, and she nods. That gave Nexus the signal to open the party menu and sends invites to Kirito and the hooded girl. He looks at the names in his party but doesn't say anything about it.

"Well see ya then. I have some last minute stuff that I need to do," said Nexus as he waves to Kirito.

Nexus and the others walk out the amphitheater as he sees the guy with the Anneal blade walking away with a heavy look on his face and the girl with an anxious look on her face. Thinking that they were beta testers or at least the guy, he tells the others to go on ahead while he tries and talks to the two. He soon gets their attention.

"Hello? You're the guy at the Amphitheater. What was your name again?" asked the guy with the Anneal Blade.

"Nexus is the name. Thanks for coming to the meeting. I suppose that I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow for the raid?"

The girl responded. "It's a maybe. We'll still not sure that we want to be in the raid. Oh, where are my manners? Sorry. I'm Koharu. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"And I'm Ren." said the boy teenager.

Nexus looks at the duo and signals them to follow him real quick after making sure that no one was around. He brings the two to a dark alley before stating his case.

"From what I can tell, you two are beta-testers or at least the guy." The two had shocked expressions. "Easy there. You guys know that I'm one. However, it was pretty obvious. No one who's new to the game shouldn't know anything about the Anneal Blade quest. So what's your plan? You guys going to pretend like you're just normal players in this game and just hope that you won't be caught?" asked Nexus. "MMO players are not the type of people that you want to be messing with."

"I know. That's why we're going to be extra careful. Koharu, is it ok that we attend this boss raid?" Ren asks Koharu with a serious glance.

Koharu really thought about it, but before she gives an answer, Nexus starts to leave, but not before saying one last thing. "If you guys plan to come, make sure to come with a smile. We've got to give hope to the little guys, after all. Good luck and have fun!"

Nexus left on that note as Koharu looks at Ren before the two walked by themselves in silence. Nexus runs up and catches up with his party members.

"Nexus, what did you need to do?" asked Silica while the others were looking at new equipment.

"I had to go meet with some people about the boss raid. It's nothing that you have to worry about, Silica," said Nexus. 'Let's just hope that those two actually show up tomorrow.'

The next day...

Nexus wakes up and gets ready to goes to Central Tolbana where everyone is meeting together. That's when he sees Koharu and Ren together as he walks up to them with his menu open.

"Hey good morning you two," said Nexus with a faint smile.

"Good morning Nexus. Let's show that Floor Boss what's what!" said Koharu with enthusiasm.

"Wow, love the excitement here. Nice to see you guys like this. I'm wondering if you would like to join my party in the raid since you're joining."

"That seems like the best option. You seem to know the most about this Floor Boss. Sure, we can join you. Is it you and your party over there?" asks Ren as he points to the others.

"Yeah, but it involves also involves two other people. One of them is a beta tester named Kirito."

"Ah, Kirito is with you guys. That's great!" said Koharu.

"You know him? That's surprising. Him being a loner and all."

"Yeah. He helped us during the beta and even helped us again during the first day of SAO, before Kayaba announcing all that and everything," said Ren.

"Yo, Nexus. Who are you talking to?" asked Hera as the others joined in the conversation.

Nexus replies to him as he sends Koharu and Ren the party invites. "This is Koharu and Ren. They're going to be in our party for the raid. The short dude is Hera, the girl with the spear is Nirvana, and the girl with the knife is Silica. It is really hard to distinguish the two, I know."

"Well, our personalities are similar, but we have our differences," said Nirvana.

"Yeah. I'm almost surprised that these two aren't twins. Now it makes sense. We're definitely not siblings." said Hera with a smug look on his face as Nirvana lets out a puffy face.

"Um, everyone. It looks like Diavel is about to say something," says Silica as Diavel is about to speak to the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming! We now have all the players who joined us last night, without a single straggle!" says Diavel proudly.

"Course we're here! We believe in ya, and we're ready to move out with ya!" said a voice from the crowd. It sounded like Kibaou.

"We will now head out straight for the Floor 1 Labyrinth. You're all move and operate as individual parties, but go from the Teleport Monument to the labyrinth and head straight for the boss floor! Before we go, I have but one thing to say… To victory!"

Everyone cheered in excitement.

"Wow, he can sure make everyone excited," says Hera as he goes looking around for Kirito and spots him with Asuna as he walks to the two. "Hey, guys. You're in our party, right? Let's go." Hera signals the two to follow suit as the three walk to Nexus and the others.

"Everyone's all fired up… We've gotta keep up, Ren," said Koharu as they group walk together. Koharu and Ren didn't notice that they were walking with Kirito until they reached Quest Plains.

"Kirito! Long time no see!" said Koharu when she notices Kirito.

"Oh, hey. I noticed you at the meeting. I was a bit surprised. I guess that means you've gotten tough enough to be on the front lines. And by the looks of it, we're in the same party." says Kirito.

"Compared to you in strength? No way dude. You're crazy powerful. Plus, Nexus is the same." says Ren.

"Maybe not. Nexus has a habit to get too into one thing but on another note. Nexus said that Diavel assigned us to support duty for the vanguard. While the other parties fight the boss, we're supposed to fight the Kobolds that spawn around it..."

"That makes this really boring. Nexus is like a commander. Shouldn't we be like the main attacking parties?" complained Hera.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Hera. That would lead to big trouble in the future." Silica looks at the rest. "It'll be great working with the rest of you."

"Yeah. We're going to be taking down this boss!" yelled Ren.

"Sure you're not getting ahead of yourself? Don't let your optimism be your demise. This will be unlike you've ever seen." Kirito looks serious with his words.

"Got it!" says everyone else as the cloaked person goes up to the group.

"Hey. Everyone else is in the labyrinth already. Don't you think we should get moving?" asks the cloaked girl.

"You're right. We shouldn't be talking, and we should hurry up and catch up with big bro!" says Nirvana as she starts moving.

"Shouldn't we introduce ourselves first?" asked Silica.

"Let's talk personal later. I'm going on ahead." The cloaked girl didn't even look at the little girl.

"Sheesh. That was quite cold of her. She does know that we're on the same party, right?" asked Hera while looking at Kirito.

"Sorry, she's not the most sociable person."

"To be frank it makes sense at the moment. We shouldn't be so foolish at a time like this." Ren rubs his head a bit.

"Yeah. Plus, compared to the last time we saw her, she seems a bit more at ease. Maybe it's because we're all a team?" Koharu wondered.

"We're just partied up for the time being. We hardly know each other. We joined this party was because Nexus offered as an old friend."

"Still, it seems like you're a good balance for one another after all the stuff Nexus tells me about you Kirito," says Silica.

"Nah, she'll have no need for me soon enough. She gets faster and more adept every day. She's got a promising path ahead."

"No, no, that's not what Silica means… Kirito, do you really judge a girl by how strong of a player she is? Anyway, we should hurry." said Koharu as she walks up to Nirvana.

"Now that's a bit unfair, don't you think?" Kirito looks at Ren. "Guess we better hurry up though, or else we really will get left behind. The labyrinth itself isn't too tricky, but monsters will come at us from side passages and such, so we need to stay alert. Let's hurry to the top, then."

The two head off with the others as they see Nexus waiting with the hood girl at the entrance of the labyrinth.

"That took you guys a while. What were you guys talking about?" questioned Nexus.

"Nothing much. Just about how the boss battle is going to work on and other such," said Kirito with a faint shrug.

"Well, ok then. While I was waiting, Diavel and the others already made it the boss room. The labyrinth is hardly considered a labyrinth. Should take us ten minutes tops for all of us to catch up."

"Then let's hurry!" says Hera who was already getting impatient.

The whole group dashes through the dungeon and most of the chests were already opened, but some stragglers were left alone and Silica was able to get a new knife that had more damage on it. After ten or so minutes, they reach the door.

"You were right. It wasn't that long," said Koharu. "I felt like we could've walked through it."

"We needed to catch up as quickly as possible." said the hooded girl.

"Yeah, but we could've saved some energy." Nirvana looked at her teammates. "Though energy isn't really a factor in this game isn't it?"

"Yeah, sis. It's still just in our heads just in a VRMMORPG. We can't lose too much energy." explained Nexus. "Looks like Diavel is starting."

"Right then, it looks like everyone is here. Once we open this door that'll be it. We'll be right at the boss battle. Once we enter, I need every party to take their positions. Remember, the reports stated that Illfang the Kobold Lord will change weapons when it's HP is low. Once it switches from its axe to a talwar, it will change up its attack pattern, too. Make sure you don't get caught up by it." says Diavel.

"Honestly… I'm scared. But I promised Sachi. I'd fight, and I'd live. And… I'd protect you." says Koharu with a faint frown.

"Hey, that's my line. Just don't trip over your feet again," says Ren who was apparently trying to comfort his friend. 'I'll protect Koharu, no matter what!'

"Oh not that again!" Koharu had a puffy face as she looked at Ren while he was laughing before laughing herself.

Nirvana and Silica were obviously afraid, but Nexus calms them down a bit. "Hey, it's alright. We'll all get out of this alive. There's no need to worry. K?"

The two girls nod at Nexus which let him smile.

"Let's do it! Chaaarge!" yelled Diavel as he opened the gates to reveal a big red Kobold with an axe and a buckler.

The main party rushes in the boss room as Illfang summons little Kobolds to try and intercept them, but Nexus's group keeps them off their backs. The main party attacks Illfang while easily dodging its attacks. The tanks were up front with their shields up as Illfang tries to hit the other players only to stagger from the shield users and is dealt a devastating blow to its body. Nexus, Ren, and the others were not having a difficult time dealing with the smaller Kobolds, but they had to split up due to them being spawned at multiple parts of the room catching some of the main party off guard. Due to this, two players were killed in the process, but the main party quickly recovered as the minions were held back.

Illfang's health was dropping at a quick rate and its health bar went red as it tosses the axe and buckler and switches weapons.

"Illfang switched weapons…" said the hooded girl.

"It should keep using that talwar like an idiot until we take it down. As long as we're careful, we should have this," said Kirito in response.

Diavel ordered the main party to surround Illfang and proceed with their assaults.

"Alright! We got this!" yelled Hera.

Suddenly Illfang pulled out a weapon. When Nexus and Kirito saw this, they realized something.

"Oh no! That's not right! Lookout!"

"Diavel, retreat! That's not a talwar! It's going to use a katana sword skill!" yelled Nexus, but was too in vain. Diavel was stunned to the ground.

"That attack wasn't in the book!" yelled Hera.

"This is bad! Nexus! Hurry! We have to save them! It's gonna move in for a combo!" yelled Kirito.

Agil tries to call in backup. "Move in for support! Shoot…! We're too late!"

Nexus and Kirito were on two separate sides of the room and couldn't make it in time.

"Ren! Diavel is in trouble!" yelled Koharu.

Just then, Ren was able to save Diavel at the last second by blocking the strike. "Don't worry Diavel! I got you!"

This gave Nexus and Kirito the right amount of time to deflect the strike making Illfang stagger and fall back a few feet giving them a chance to breathe.

"There's the opening! Fall back!" yelled Agil

Agil, Hera, and Silica were able to pull back Diavel and a few others back to safety.

"Am I… still alive…?" asked Diavel. It seems like the adrenaline hasn't worn off.

"Ren was the one who was able to save you. He jumped in right when the boss was going to hit you," explained Silica. "Nexus and Kirito were also able to clear a path through the surrounding monsters."

"What were you thinking, running in there?" asked Kirito.

"You're a former tester… You should know…"

"The last hit bonus?! Are you kidding me? That isn't something you risk your life for. So what you lose the rare drop?! It's better to have your life." scolded Ren.

"Please… Just take that thing down… For everyone's sake… I don't think I can move… Damn! I was such a fool..."

"Easy there," said Nirvana. "Just rest for a bit. We'll take care of it."

Kirito gives a look at Diavel. "Ever since we got trapped in here, I thought about no one but myself. I even rejected one of my closest friends. But you, Diavel, you were different. You used your experience to help others, and lead them all into battle. You did everything I was incapable of."

Nexus looks at Ren and sees Koharu crying towards Ren and hugs him.

"When you leaped out to save Diavel, I was too scared to move! Diavel almost died because I hesitated! And… I was so scared I'd lose you too!" She was having a hard time after what just happened.

Ren smiled at Koharu and puts his hand on her head. "Me too. I want the courage… and the strength to protect those around me. And that's why…" He didn't finish what he said. The two look at the everyone else. Nexus and Hera were keeping Illfang busy, but it soon looked at Agil and the others.

"This is bad. Our lines are falling apart. At this rate we're going to see more casualties!" said Agil.

Nexus switches with Hera and activates an Slant forcing Illfang back enough just so he could jump back. He looks at the rest of the party.

"New plan, guys! Leave the final blow to us. We know the pattern." said Nexus as he prepares his weapon with the rest of the party.

"Leave the rest to me," said Kirito.

"I'm right here with you." said the hooded girl.

"That makes me three," said Nexus.

"Guess I'm four. Let's do this guy," said Ren as they all prepare the weapons.

"Leave the small fry to me! I'll keep them off until we're healed!" said Agil as he prepares his axe.

"You're the man, Agil!" yelled Nexus as the four started to run to Illfang.

"Asuna! Stick to the same attack pattern. Nexus, Ren. You follow suit. When you hear switch, get ready. Here we go!"

The hooded girl named Asuna dashes with Kirito and barely dodges one of the minions ripping the cloak as Nexus and Ren dash in. Nexus quickly changes into a rapier making sure that the combo is adequately ensured. Kirito and Ren would deflect the blows from Illfang while Nexus and Asuna activated Shooting Star as their rapiers turned purple stabbing Illfang in the stomach. The giant boss couldn't recover in time as Ren quickly went for a Horizontal Arc almost fully killing Illfang. Seeing the chance, Kirito used Slant to deal the final blow and Illfang was cut in half before exploding into pixels. The victory tab showed up as everyone in the crowd celebrated the victory against the Floor Boss.

Kirito looks at the victory tab and sees his reward for the final attack bonus as he stands up.

"Well played dude. You deserve, even though we did the most work," said Nexus as he switches his rapier for the two-handed sword. "I felt like I was second fiddle for that boss battle."

"You're just jealous that you didn't get any spotlight, bro." Hera rubs his brother's head. "Maybe next boss."

Nexus looks at his brother and his other friends before looking at Diavel. What happened there was a close call, and they could've lost another life. He didn't want to risk his friend's lives, but Ren was the same with Koharu. His words were true. So now what. He thought about it a bit but was caught off by Kibaou who looked severely pissed off.

"Tell me! Explain to me why exactly you lied to us all, and to Diavel!" yelled Kibaou. "Of you had just told us 'about all that from the start, Diavel would never have been in danger… None of us would have!"

"Kirito was out there fighting to save Diavel with Nexus and Ren, too. How can you take that tone of voice?" Koharu looked at her party members.

"I'm not talkin results here; I'm talking methods! This guy put Diavel in danger and then steps in to take all the glory!"

"You don't think… Did he use Diavel as bait to avoid the boss's attack?" asked one of the soldiers in the crowd.

"He's one of them testers! He knew exactly how the boss would attack and made sure only he knew how to get the last hit!" yelled another.

"Whoever wrote that guidebook must have been in cahoots with him all along!"

"You guys…" weakly said Asuna.

"Hey!" Nexus yells as everyone looks at him except Kirito. "How the hell did you get that? Didn't you see that it was obvious that Kirito was just as confused when the boss switched weapons?! So what? The beta could not mean anything less than shit! You guys really think that Akihiko Kayaba was going to keep everything the same from the beta?! We can't predict what's going to be true!"

"All you do is cry beta this and beta that, but you know what? You think I'm a beta tester? It's not cool to lump me with those newbs." Nexus looked at Kirito as he sees what Kirito is going to do.

'Kirito, you sack of crap! I will not allow you to take the blame!" thought Nexus as he was about to speak, Kirito gave him a look. The look says "don't worry about me.". Kirito shook his head no as he looked back at the crowd.

"Most of the 1,000 players who got picked for the SAO beta were newbs who hardly knew how to level. Even you guys are better than they were. But, I'm nothing like those guys. I made it higher than anyone during the Beta. Even Nexus here is way lower than I was." Nexus winces at what Kirito said. He really wanted to say something. "I knew about that Katana attack because I've fought katana wielding mobs higher up. I never thought I'd see it on this level, but thanks to our happy-go-lucky knight of a leader here, I was lucky enough to get by without a scratch."

"Kirito, you don't mean that do you?" Nirvana said that quietly as Hera tries to comfort her and Silica. Ren does the same for Koharu.

"I know way more than anyone. I know stuff out good knight here never dreamed of. All sorts of stuff. Stuff that would surprise even the info brokers."

"Whatcha tryin to say? What kinda tester are you?" questioned Kibaou demanding answers. "I know, you must be some kinda cheater or something!"

"A beta cheater! This dude's a "beater" he is!"

"...Beater. Beater huh? That's good. I like it." Kirito goes into his menu and equips his new rare bonus. The coat of midnight. The dark coat now on Kirito gave him a more menacing look. "I'm a beater then. Now stop lumping me in with those other newb beta testers. I'll go activate the Floor 2 gate. Feel free to follow along if you want to die to some new enemies up there."

Kirito leaves slowly leaving the crowd speechless.

"Why did Kirito say all that? Now people are going to think he's the real bad guy here." Koharu worried for her friend.

"It's because that's just how Kirito is," said Nexus as he dropped to the floor and bangs it as hard as he cans.

"He wanted to become the scapegoat for all the beta testers. Including you, because everyone here knows about you," said Ren as he looks at Nexus.

"Yeah, he's right. If he didn't stand out as a dirty beater, then the rest of the beta testers would keep getting singled out by everyone," said Agil. "Since we're all stuck here in this deadly game, suffering that kind of hatred from other players could…"

"It's going to get him killed. Damn that guy. I'm going to have a word with him." muttered Nexus as he gets up and dashes up to his friend.

"He decided to take on that burden himself. When I passed out in the dungeon, he came in and rescued me," said Asuna with a frown.

"What happened to you, Asuna?" asked Silica.

"I was in there for three days straight with zero sleep. I know, it was stupid of me. But it was something I needed."

"It was in order to beat the game?" questioned Ren.

"In order for me to be me. If my only other choice was to lock myself up in an inn and rot away, I felt like I'd rather go out as the me I know. Losing out to some monster is one thing, but I couldn't bear losing out to the world itself. The thought of it was too much. And so, well, before I knew it, I was fighting away, hoping to go out with a bang… But he was different. He was ready to spend years to beat this game."

"Nexus looks the same. He's even willing to work harder just to push others ahead of him. I think it would please him if he was left behind if it meant saving everyone else." said Silica with a saddened look on her face.

"Even so. We all have you guys to thank for getting us through Floor 1," said Agil.

"I'm going head-on with Nexus. I never got the chance to thank him before," said Asuna.

"You tell him this then. "We look forward to battling our next boss together."" said Agil.

"And "Get your loner priorities straight."" said Hera with a smile.

"Okay. I'll definitely let him know… I guess I'll see you around, then." Asuna dashed off. She went up the stairs and into the second floor.

Second Floor, Urbus

A few minutes earlier…

Nexus goes through the door to see a savanna realm covered in plains and boulders. He could see multiple mountains from where he was.

"Kirito!" yelled Nexus as his old friends stop and looks at him. When Nexus caught up, he stops and breathes for a second. He looked at his friend and punches him straight in the face. Nexus was severely pissed off. "How dare you do that?! What the hell do you think you're doing? Taking in all the blame to yourself and just leaving off. Some friend you are..."

Kirito gives him a sad look before looking down. "What do you want me to say? You know how I am. I'm what you call me. A loner. Someone that could take all the burdens and pains meant for other beta testers and carry them until my death."

"When the game ends you mean." Kirito looks at his friend as he sits down beside him. "I ain't going to let you die. I mean, you have your parents and Suguha waiting for you to come back. I made this speech with my sister. You've got someone waiting for you, and that's the motivation to fight. Kirito… no Kazuto."

"What is it, Sho?"

"I can't change the fact that you made this decision and that you are becoming the scapegoat for all us beta-testers. So, just keep in touch. Don't be a massive solo player where you do everything by yourself. If you're too overwhelmed, don't hesitate to ask." Nexus stands up and pulls up Kirito as well. "Do we have a promise?"

Kirito looks around to see Asuna and looks at Nexus. "We sure do, Nexus."

 **Oof. This chapter was very heavy. What will happen to Nexus and the others now that Kirito is leaving after taking all the burdens of the beta-testers? What will Asuna? What are Koharu and Ren going to do now? And when this cutaway start sounding like a really cringy ending to an anime where they ask those weird questions about what you guys think is going to happen next? Hell, should I know? Anyways a couple things before I go guys. The first thing is how the multi-weapon thing is going to work. Is it going to work like how Ezra from what I'm assuming Fairy Tail does it? The answer is a maybe. I haven't thought that much into it. Second is the Katana Sword Skill. In SAO, it was a rare skill that not a lot of people can get. However, Nexus has it because I'm going based off the Hollow Realization Skill Menu when it comes to Sword Skills. Lastly, not everything is going to correlate to the manga, game, or anime. Not much to say about that. Hope you guys have a great day and as always! Stay Classy! masterstarman1002 signing off!**


	4. Dad Taurus and Boi

**Hey, my dudes. This is masterstarman1002 and I have something that I need to get off my chest since it's been weighing me down since Monday. I've failed all of you! Ok fail is a strong word... On second thought yeah I did fail you guys. I didn't meet my quota of a chapter of any fanfic before the weekend ends and I will like to apologize to all of you. Some of you were probably waiting for the second chapter of this fanfic and I haven't given it to you guys. An explanation at the end of the chapter on why I was a bit late, so until then, enjoy the next chapter of Nexus the multi wielder.**

"Bison!" Nexus activates the War Blade sword skill while his weapon turns purple as he stabs the ox before slicing to the right twice before slicing up and then does a slash downwards as the ox explodes into pixels. The victory tabs pop up and Nexus looks at Hera, Nirvana, and Silica. The girls were chuckling a bit as Hera gave a sigh as he puts away his sword.

"You know that you can't really use that pun, right? They're oxen, not buffalos," said Hera. "I think you should try again with these puns."

"Well, he did try to make it funny. It's been a bit hard since Kirito went solo and all." Nirvana said with a small smile.

"And it's working. I think I got a little more motivation to keep on going. I think Nexus is good for helping people with keeping people in good spirits." added Silica.

"Sure that's fine and all but if he's going to do a proper pun then it should match up with what we were facing. Again an ox is not a buffalo."

"Well, may I ox you a question, Hera? Did I ox for your opinion?" That got a chuckle out of Hera.

"Alright fine. I won't interfere with your puns anymore."

"Good. By the way, the enemy list called these things buffalos." Hera sticks his tongue as Nexus received a message from Kirito as he opens the menu and reads it for a bit. "Blah blah blah. Quest. Blah blah blah Taurus? Wait wasn't there two Taurus in the boss room. This might actually be interesting."

"What is it? Does Kirito need some help?" asked Silica as Nexus gives a shrug.

"Don't quite know for sure. However, he asks that we meet him in Natural Cave. Ren and Koharu are going to be there as well. This could be essential info for the next floor boss."

"What are waiting for then?! Let's hurry on to Natural Cave! Let's go!" Nirvana runs in a random direction as Hera tries to tell her something.

"Wait! That's not the way to Natural Cave! Hey! Slow down!" Hera chases his sister as Nexus laughs at the scene with Silica.

'It's been a whole week since that day. The day when Kirito was named the Beater. Don't know why people wouldn't want to work with him. If he had the most knowledge in this death game, everyone would be trying to win his favor. However, all the non-beta players are spreading false rumors about him and me. Just because I tried to defend him and other beta-testers. I decided to separate from Koharu and Ren just so we can level up faster.'

Natural Cave

Nexus walks into the dungeon with his party as they see Kirito with Koharu, Asuna, and Ren. Koharu waves at the group as Silica dashes up.

"Hey, you guys didn't take long," said Kirito. "Hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"It's fine, Kirito. We were just finishing a quest. Nexus said that we weren't going to do anything special until the boss room was found. It was mostly going to be just grinding." Silica listed.

"Yeah, we were the same. When Kirito approached us, we weren't doing anything important." Ren said with a sigh.

"So give me the juice, Kirito. What's so special that you needed to call us?" asks Hera.

"Sorry for dragging you out here. Let me explain the situation, first. So you've heard how the old group split into the blue team, the Lind, and the green team, the Kibaou, right?"

"No. I made sure not to associate with him for the time being. The guy irritated me a bit too much the last floor," said Nexus.

"Kibaou told us a bit about it. Not about the whole blue and green thing, though," said Koharu.

"Ah, that's just what I've been calling them since they all started using matching armor."

"Military style much?" Nexus looks at Ren. "That's what it looks like."

"Anyway, since the split, both sides have been claiming they'll be the ones to take down the boss."

"They've even been fighting over mobs, like a bunch of dumb kids. Don't they realize they could just cooperate?" said Asuna with a sigh.

"Well if the beta-tester incident from last floor has taught us anything about what kind of people that they are, then this shouldn't really be a surprise. They're a bunch of immature brats with too much pride." Nexus said.

"Well you're not wrong, however, both leaders are mostly keeping things in check, so I'm sure that they'll eventually team up for the boss raid, but the problem is that battle itself."

"It's the Taurus, isn't it?"

"Sounds like a good spot for me to interrupt. I'll take things from here Ki-bou. I've finally got all the quest details."

"Argo? Where did you come from?" Questioned Ren out loud.

"It's a secret, Ren. Not even Ne-bou knows my secret."

"Please tell me your ways, oh wise master." Argo shakes her head at Nexus's request.

"Oh, Argo. What quest…?" questioned Koharu.

"So, you remember how the Floor 1 boss used different gear and stuff than it did during the beta test, right?"

"Yeah. We almost lost Diavel due to something like that," stated Nirvana.

"Yeah. Well, it turns out that we would have known that if we hadn't overlooked a certain quest. We would have learned all about that katana attack. I'll admit, as an info broker… I really should have been more thorough… But that's why I made sure to leave no stone unturned out here on Floor 2, checking everything, until BINGO! There's this NPC who says "Aid us, and we will share with you the old tales of the beast of the tower."" explained Argo. Kirito continues Argo's explanation.

"But before they'll talk we'll need to bring the item they want to two competing guilds, the Smith's Guild and the Merchant's guild, at the same time."

"The thought being that by treating them the same we can strengthen them without putting one ahead of the other, and leave room for future cooperation, I guess. Sounds a bit like a certain group we know, huh."

"So that's why you mentioned the two guilds. This is quite the predicament."

"Yeah. Getting them to work together is the hard part but we need the items first."

"Anyway. So there you have it. I want you all to go out and get the items we need to complete this quest. I could do this quest myself, but if we take too long those blue and green teams there will probably charge head-on into the boss battle as is."

"Something like Floor 1 could happen again. There could be another Diavel incident and we might not even be able to save them. Yeah, I agree. We should get as much information we can possibly get." said Nexus.

"The Smith's Guild is looking for a Taurus amulet. You can find it down in the lower labyrinth. The Merchant's Guild is looking for 15 Blazing Pelt from Blood Wolf. You can get them in these caves."

"Ren? Can you, Koharu, and Nexus take care of the of the Blazing Pelts? Kirito and I will take Silica, Nirvana, and Hera to the dungeon."

"That sounds good. Of course, we got it!" Koharu replied as the boys agreed.

"Even if you guys have Silica and the others, it'll still take you guys sometime before you get it so we need a rendezvous place. How about outside the labyrinth?" suggested Ren.

"It sounds good! Once you guys have the Blazing Pelt, then we'll meet you then. Good luck out there Big Bro!" said Nirvana.

"Don't be overconfident. Just because you guys are high on levels, doesn't mean they can kill you," said Argo.

"You guys be careful too." Kirito looks at his friend with a smile.

"Yeah, I will. See you later then!"

Kirito and the others left for the labyrinth leaving Ren, Koharu, and Nexus all by themselves.

"Let's hurry up and get the Blazing Pelts. There dropped by the Blood Wolves, right?" Koharu asks.

"Yeah. That's what Argo said. It shouldn't take that much time at all."

The three walked through the cave and spots a few Blood Wolves as Nexus signals that he would go first as he takes out his Katana and dashes to the group of Blood Wolves and activates Rasetsu as his blade turns red. He slices diagonally before a quick slice to the right and then a slice down as the Blood Wolf explodes into pixels. He sees a wolf jumping towards him as he ducks down and Ren activates Rage Spike into the wolf as he rammed it into other blood wolves. The wolves are clustered together as Koharu activates Delta Attack and her rapier glows green as she does slashes that form a triangle and the wolves explode into pixels. Nexus looks at his inventory.

"6 Blazing Pelts to go. We need nine more. Let's not waste any time with this." The other two nodded.

*Timeskip

Ren and Koharu walk outside as Nexus wanted to do some last minute grinding as he gives the Pelts to Koharu. However, Koharu sees a familiar face.

"Sachi? What are you doing here? Don't tell me you joined up with the Aincrad Liberation Squad…" asked Koharu.

"Koharu! Ren! Oh, uhh. Well… Hey. have you seen a group of four boys around my age?"

"Friends of yours? No, can't say we have. Are they supposed to be with you?"

"Yeah, we were together until we got here, but this big bull thing drove us apart, and now we're all separated… by the time I realized it, I was on my own. What am I going to do? What if they die out there alone…?"

"Yo. What's going on?" Nexus pops outside the dungeon as he walks up to the three. He looks at Sachi. "Oh hi. Nice to meet you. I'm Nexus."

"I'm Sachi. Ren, Koharu… What should I do?" Sachi had a concerned look on her face.

"Maybe you should try sending them a message?" said Ren.

"Oh…! Right, I'll try that now!"

She opens her inventory and she types a message. It's not before a few minutes that a message pops up. Sachi reads the message with a concerned look.

"What does it say? Any good news?" questioned Koharu.

Sachi had a face of relief. "Oh thank goodness… They all fled back to Floor 1. I guess I just got a bit too panicked."

"To be fair, a giant bull was after you guys. It would make any sane person panic. Your friends were probably worried." Ren smiled in relief for her friend.

"Looks like they were all sending messages. "Where are you? "Are you all right?!" Stupid me, I didn't even check them, so they went searching all over for me. They're already on their way here now."

"Hey, we might as well escort you to the Teleport Gate so you can reach your friends safely. We wouldn't want another bull chasing you off again, right? I'm not that reliable of a cowboy," said Nexus causing the others to chuckle.

"We'll be right there with you, so just tell your friends to wait in town," Koharu added.

"That would be wonderful, but are you sure you don't mind? Weren't you headed to the labyrinth?"

"Don't worry about it. We're still waiting for our party members and we were just going to wait for them for quite a bit of time. Our friends are all down there and our other friend is nowhere in sight."

Nexus looks to the right and sees a familiar face.

"Agil!"

"Hey, what gives? You all look like you're in trouble."

Nexus explains in great detail about learning info about the boss and that Kirito and the others were in the labyrinth looking for the Taurus Amulet.

"Well, in that case, I think I can help. Me and my pals were just heading down there ourselves, looking for the very same Taurus amulet. We should run into Kirito down there somewhere. When we do, we'll let them know about you."

"Thank Agil. You're a lifesaver!" Koharu cheers up a bit.

"But hey… You're high enough level to make it to Floor 2, right? Might take a while, but you should be able to handle those Raging Bulls. It was probably just the size that got you scared." Agil guessed based on Sachi's expression.

"It's more just… Well, our gear is pretty shoddy. But getting new stuff or upgrading costs money, and… We were thinking rather than just wasting our money on a small boost, we should keep saving until we have enough to get some better stuff… We decided to come out here just to face monsters we know we can handle, and save up money that way."

"Well, that seems pretty normal if this were just any game. However, in this game, these types of risks in worth taking over cheap change," states Nexus.

"Yeah…"

"Nexus is not trying to criticize you. What we need here is some place to buy better gear at better prices than in the shops, yeah? Maybe we could set up a system where high-level players pass along gear they don't need anymore… Hmm, I'll need to think this one over." Agil looks at his menu for a bit. "Sorry to eat up so much of your time. I'll go pass along your message. You take care of that girl now, you hear?"

"You got it mister bossman! You don't have to fight, Sachi. Just stick close to us. You can leave all the fighting to us." Ren reassures Sachi.

"Ren and I have both come a long way, you know! And Nexus is a master in combat! He'll take care of us if it gets too dangerous."

"Master of fighting? Are you guys making me the supervisor because I won't mind that."

"Good luck with that Nexus." Agil gives Nexus a pat on the back as the boy chuckles.

"Ren. Koharu. You two work so hard to support each other. You're just the perfect match."

"You see it too? I'm not the only one. Hah! Hera owes me 2000 col!" Nexus whispers to Sachi. "Maybe we could be wingmen for these two?"

"Yeah. That would be fun!" Sachi agrees with a smile.

"We're what…? N-No, oh no. We aren't, really! Don't say that." Koharu blushed heavily at Sachi and Nexus's words. Ren was the same as his partner.

"A-Anyways, you're going to be safe with us, Sachi! We'll lead the way."

"I know. Thank you. All three of you."

Escorting Sachi didn't take too long at the teleportation monument wasn't that far and only a bull tried to attack Sachi but Nexus activates a quick Zekku before doing the final blow. Soon afterward they teleported to the Teleportation Gate.

"Thank you three so much. I can handle myself from here."

"You sure?" asked Ren.

"I'm just heading back to town! I'm sure I'll never hear the end of it when I get back, though… I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"We all need to work together, right? We'll always be there for you for this sort of stuff. Just try not to get into trouble, okay?" advises Koharu.

"I'll pass that advice along. I'll tell everyone all about how strong you two have gotten."

"Jeez. You're going to make me a bit embarrassed," muttered Ren under his breath.

"Okay! See you around. Nice to meet you Nexus! Let's talk more about it later!" Sachi runs to the Teleportation Gate as the blue light surrounds her.

"Well, this tragedy has come to a close. I wish this was a normal game and we can laugh this off. But still, your friend is safe. We should head back to the labyrinth. Kirito and the others might be done now thanks to Agil and his group."

A few minutes later…

Koharu, Nexus, and Ren see Argo patiently waiting as the three run up to her.

"Sorry for the wait! We've got the item we need," said Koharu as she hands the items to Argo.

"No worries, we got your message. I'll go finish up this quest real quick. You just wait here." Argo walks away as Nexus sees Kirito and the others walking up to them.

"Yo, Kirito, Asuna. You guys looking swell. Did the kids have any trouble why I'll was gone?"

"Nah. They were fine. You did a really good job training them, that's for sure." said Asuna as Nexus rubs his head.

"Thanks but I ain't half the battler Kirito is."

"Are you kidding? You probably went on a rampage working on your sword mastery and such. Mind showing us how high they are." Kirito has a sly smile as Nexus looks at Hera.

"You told him about the thing didn't you."

"Not a word about it. I just said that your skill levels are high. I didn't say another word." Hera said mockingly.

"Hera is lying! He said that you were going for a special perk and you were already almost there!" Hera gives his sister a look. He looks back at Nexus who had a terrifying smile and a chill went down his spine.

"Hera. I'm not mad. I'm really not. I, however, need to talk to you later about how to keep secrets from MMO players. No matter what. They are the jealous types after all. Not saying that you're jealous Kirito."

"I've realized that." A drop of sweat falls off Kirito's neck.

"Nexus… You're smiling but you're so terrifying. You're scaring Silica and Nirvana." Ren puts his hand on Nexus as the smile disappears.

"Oh alright then. I'll stop. I still want the talk kid."

"Yes, sir…"

"Did somebody order some boss intel?" Argo pops up out of nowhere.

"And there's my favorite info broker. Popping out of nowhere as usual. Do you teleport or something?"

"I wish, but no, unfortunately. Anyway, about that boss… They said "The tower boss is a Bull King named after the stars. When its eyes twinkle, lightning's breath shall fall upon all."

"Based on mythology and stuff, the closest thing would be a Taurus. So their king is the next boss. But lightning breath? I don't remember that in those novels." stated Koharu.

"Ah, Koharu likes mythology books? That sounds pretty cool!" said Silica.

"Yeah, I did. I mean what? I mean... I mean yeah… I read them in the real world…" Koharu blushes a bit.

"Anywho, the beta, the Floor 2 boss was Colonel Nato and his superior officer, General Baran."

"Or more precisely, Nato the Colonel Taurus and Baran the General Taurus."

"Or what I heard that some people called them in the beta, Daddy Taurus, and Boi." Everyone looks at Nexus. "What? The mood was a bit heavy and I did hear that from those girl beta testers that were actually girls surprising enough. Think they were referencing the old God of War game that came out during 2018. Meeting those girls was a weird experience, I'll give you that."

"Wait, there were actually girls in the beta?" questioned Hera. "I find that really hard to believe."

"Yeah, but the weird thing is that they were mostly girls pretending to be dudes."

"Wel,l that's interesting. Nexus, if I may ask… did Kirito ever do that?" asked Asuna.

"Do what? Genderswap in a video game before. Well if I recall he-"

"Ahem! We're getting off track over here!" Kirito clears his throat.

"Getting back on the two tauruses. General Baran is a giant minotaur who wields a golden hammer that unleashes lightning attacks. Just a slight touch and you'll be left stunned. Worse than that, get hit twice and you'll be paralyzed… Lots of beta testers got wiped out from that." explained Argo.

"It was sooo stupid. The trick to avoid it was to watch and see when he's moving to attack, and dodge. That while bringing and anti-paralysis items. All the other parties should have this intel."

"That seems a bit off to me. How does a hammer attack count as a lightning breath, It doesn't make any sense when you really think about it." said Ren.

"I mean there's that and the fact that Colonel and General aren't really "kings" in terms of level of status." added Silica. "Does that mean there's going to be a stronger boss than the two combined who is supposed to be the leader?"

"Yeah. that was my hunch there except I'd say the Floor Boss here is the Colonel, the General and a third King. Back during the beta tes,t there were enemies higher up that used this "lightning breath" attack right Ne-bou, Ki-bou?"

"Shaddup, Argo… You wouldn't know about it if it weren't for those hours of me getting that info for you, you wouldn't even know that it was a thing!" Nexus shivers in fear.

"To be fair, you did owe me a couple of favors for that one wool quest."

"Big bro? Why do you have this weird relationship with Argo?" asked Nirvana.

"Well, Ni-chan… It's because we have a proper business etiquette."

"Ni-chan? Do you just give Nirvana a nickname? What about me or Silica?" asked Hera.

"Hmm, He-man and Sili?" Nexus and Argo starts laughing at Hera's name as Silica looks like she likes her name. Hera gives them a look. "What? You don't like it."

"No… It's fine… Just I mean. It's… Fine. It's fine."

"Can we get back to the topic?" asks Asuna who was getting a bit impatient.

"Sorry…" Nexus and Argo says at the same time,

"Now that I think of it…. Oh, THAT lightning breath! Lightning breath spreads out super fast, and if it touches you, you'll be stunned or even paralyzed."

"In previous games, a breath attack can usually be predicted by a the eyes, like a light of some sort." added Nexus with a shiver.

"With this info, the groups taking on the boss, they should be able to manage!"

"About that… We got one problem. They're already at the labyrinth." said Hera.

"They've just headed in. If we hurry, we should be able to catch up with them." Asuna looks at the group as they all nod.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go after them! We have to go straight for the boss. But do we have anything to counter the paralysis?" wonders Koharu out loud.

"Luckily, Nirvana and I stocked up on a ton of paralysis potions."

"Nice job, Silica. You too sis. We could all be doomed with you guys."

"This labyrinth is full of half-naked mino- Err, it's full of tough enemies, so watch yourselves."

The whole group, besides Argo, head into the boss room at quick speeds. They swiftly try to avoid the minions at all costs trying to catch up to Kibaou's group and they soon reach the boss door where the group were preparing for the boss room.

"Kibaou! Please wait for a second!" Ren yells as he looks around.

"Huh? What is it?" Kibaou looks at Kirito. "And what are you guys doing with that filthy beta-tester?"

"Not the point, Kibaou. We've got some new info about the boss." said Koharu.

Kirito explains about the quest and the possibility of a third boss.

"Whaddya mean there are three bosses?! First I've heard of it!"

"We only just found it out ourselves. If you are all partied up to face only two bosses, you might want to fall back and regroup first."

"Kibaou! If we stop here, it'll be just what the Beater wants! Forget him and let's go!" said a member of the Liberation Army.

"We'll heed Kirito's word. This sort of intel can do nothing but help us here." This time it was a member from the Dragon Knights. "Still, if the Liberation Army is going ahead, we can't simply back down here… We can't let them get ahead."

"Figured you'd say that. You're no better than those Beaters you love so much. Can't expect you to lead all of us!"

"We Dragon Knights have taken up the torch of Diavel! Don't forget your place."

The two guilds were arguing as the rest see Agil as they walked up to him while Kirito was trying to address the crowd.

"Well, we seem to have made it in time. But this doesn't look good…" said Koharu.

"Indeed. Here we are bearing much needed news, but all they care about is who's in charge." added Asuna.

"They're a bunch of idiots that's what. We've came all the way here worried that they're going to die and all and they just arguing like kids." said Ren with a bitter voice.

"They aren't quite as foolish as you might think. After what happened on Floor 1, they put in a plan to retreat if the boss seemed different than expected." said Agil.

"If that's true, then why are they arguing all the time?" asked Nirvana.

"That would be simple. They don't want Kirito or any beta tester to be a raid leader, even though he shows up with this piece of intel." said Nexus.

"Yeah, but not just you two and the beta testers. They also don't want Ren and Koharu to be leaders either." stated Agil.

"Wait what? Why is that true?" asked Koharu.

"Everyone is well aware of how you helped Kibaou to get everyone up to level. They probably told everyone on purpose."

"Oh great. So they launched propaganda wars to convince everyone that their team is the best, huh… They're using you to show others that stronger players are joining their side first. And by doing so they're hoping to steal members from the other side. The whole reason sentiment against Kirito has abated is because they're afraid that'll help the other side, too. It's easy to see right through their actions." said Ren.

"What about you Agil? You have your own party, right? Have they tried recruiting you?" asked Koharu.

"Nope. We've been pretty clear from the get-go that we are a neutral, independent party. Now then… Looks like things have settled down." Nexus walks back to the group.

"So you guys got your head out of your butts?" Kibaou gives a look to Kirito and Nexus.

"Enough jabbering already. We're going head in just like we planned. We're ready for two bosses. So are you guys going to back us up or not?"

'And they aren't going to take our advice like we're idiots.' "Fine! We're going to support you, but it's your funeral." Kirito and Nexus look at each other before shaking their heads and walking back to the group.

"Looks like they aren't going to take our advice like the idiots that they are. So we got to be ready for the king. So after the second boss, everyone needs to be prepared for the last boss."

"Yeah, and it looks like we're the backup. Sorry for dragging you guys down into this."

"Are you kidding? We're all friends here. I'll stick with you on this one and future choices. It's the same for Nexus, Asuna, Hera, Nirvana, Agil, Silica, or Koharu. I'm staying with you guys no matter what." saids Ren as everyone looks with him.

"I'm the same. I may be loud and obnoxious but I wouldn't have got this far without you and Nexus." Hera was the next one.

"Nexus saved me from death a month ago and I'm thankful in him and trust him. If he can trust in you, Kirito, then I'm the same." Silica is pumped up.

"Why the heck does this sound like the final battle? It's only the second floor boss after all." Nexus questions.

"Because we need to psyche each other up for the three bosses. You should do one before we go in." said Ren.

"Well I would but they're already going in."

The group look at the door as they jump before heading into the boss room. In the room, they see a massive blue Taurus with a giant steel hammer. The name pops up above it with a couple of health bars. "Nato the Colonel Taurus". Unsheathing their weapons, Nexus was the first one to head in straight forth by dashing in with his Katana using Zekku, trying to catch it's attention as the huge Taurus tries to smash him with the hammer. Nexus easily dodges back before bumping into another player as he looks back to see the Taurus planning another strike but was parried by Agil and his axe. The boss staggered as the group got into a formation with Koharu, Hera, Asuna, and Ren staying on the offensive and constantly attacking the boss, not leaving any room for error. Then Nato got on one knee as the group saw this as an opportunity to strike but Nato used that to his advantage a did a spin smash, luckily no one was in proximity when it happened. However, Nexus and Agil created an opening as Kirito was able to do a Slant sword skill knocking down the taurus before it exploded into pixels.

Everyone jumped back from the middle of the room as the second boss, "Baran the General Taurus" appeared who was looking like it was in the sun for way too long and it wielded a bronze hammer. Nirvana took the initiative this time with Asuna as she used Fatal Stab after Asuna's parry with Linear to deal a good number of stabs on the boss. Ren and Agil were next in line to take a swing at it as Ren quickly uses a Snake Bite and his blade turns greens and slashes the left leg and slashes right knocking the hammer away for Agil to activate Grand Destroyer and his axe turns black and slams his axe on the waist. Silica and Nexus sees this a opportunity to strike. Nexus takes out his club and activates Silent Blow and spins around doing two strikes as the club turns neon. The gold taurus eyes bright up as Nexus pushes Silica and Agil back as Ren jumps back by himself. Bolts struck down striking a few players and Nexus as they were stunned and couldn't move. The Taurus smashed it's hammer on some players as they exploded into pixels next to Nexus as Hera and Kirito pull him out as Nirvana gives her brother a potion. He muttered a quick thanks as he quickly recovered before going in with Kirito and Hera. Koharu jumps in with Asuna as they do a duo of Neutron as they both jumped up to do four jump stabs and land for a final stab as Kirito and Ren jump in to do one last slash as Nexus and Nirvana do the finishing jab through the stomach. The bar disappeared and Baran exploded into pixels. A pause occured as the crowd was celebrating for defeating the boss as most of them dropped down in exhaustion and Kibaou walks to Kirito,

"Heh! It looks like you were wrong about the final boss. I knew you were trying to trick us with that third boss bull. You think you can try to go even more ahead by tricking us, huh?" Kibaou had a smug look on his face.

"If that were true, then where's the Congratulations sign. It should be appearing now, so tell me. Where is it?"

Before Kibaou could give a retort the ground was shaking as everyone was confused causing Nexus and the others get into position as they all look around.

"Where the hell is it? I want to take a swing at this guy!"

"Don't be stupid Hera. Just be ready." said Nexus as he hesitantly looks up and pales a bit. "Umm. Guys, Look up."

The group look up to see a giant Taurus that was at least 1.5 times bigger than Baran with a massive Golden hammer. The name pops up, "Asterios the Taurus King" as it swings the hammer at the people that were on the ground and five of the players were killed as the rest were in a state of panic and were running all over the place. This made these guys prime targets at the boss as his eyes glowed before crouching down and a lightning breath comes out of its shocking and killing another six players. Asterios was prepping another blast attack before Agil unleashes a Grand Destroyer on the Taurus's head slamming it into the crowd as Nirvana activate Fatal Thrust in one of the eyes. The monster screams in pain as he screams and bolts of lightning strike down in a bigger area than Baran shocking Nirvana and Agil as the boss stood up straight and aimed it's hammer preparing to swing at Nirvana that was on the floor as Nexus tries to save her, but it was too late. He could see the fear in her eyes as he couldn't save her…

Kirito on the other hand was able to save the little player. Kirito appeared next to her as he activates Horizontal Arc to deflect the hammer swing and the other slash to deal some minimal damage as Kirito grabbes Nirvana and jumps back before Koharu dashes in with a paralysis potion. Nexus, Hera, and Silica dash up to the spear user.

"Nirvana! Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Nexus panicked.

"I-I'm fine. I'm doing fine. Kirito here saved me." Nexus looks at his sister before looking at his old friend before hugging him with tears.

"Kirito… Thank you… Thank you so much. I can't thank you enough for what you've done"

"Hey hey. It's fine. We should be focusing on that boss right now."

"Yeah. You're right. We should focus on that." Nexus wipes his tears quickly before opening up his menu and switches his club to a one-handed brass sword. "Kirito. Let's finish this off." Kirito nods as he prepares his sword.

Nexus and Kirito dashes towards the boss as Kirito activates Slant to knock back the hammer before his eyes glow brightly as Hera jumps up stabbing the eyes causing the taurus to stop the lightning from coming down. The Taurus started flaningly attacking with it's hammer as Asuna uses Linear to knock the hammer out of it's hand. Ren activates Vorpal Strike as his sword turns yellow and he dashes into stabbing the leg. Asterios screams in pain as he falls down on one knee as Nexus sees the perfect opportunity as he dashes with his sword behind his back. He looks back real quick and sees Kibaou and a sense of anger fills him completely and his sword turns blue. He fully activates Horizontal Square and he just releases everything that he had built up in him. He slashes left and then right before spinning left a slice and then slashing right as a blue square appears around him. He drops down heavily breathing as he slowly looks up to see the Taurus slowly getting up and was going to punch Nexus who wasn't able to move in time as Kirito and Ren try to protect their friend as the boss falls onto the floor and exploding into the pixels.

The Congratulations pops up as the room goes quiet before the crowd cheering as they were all celebrating them surviving as Nexus looks around before feeling something heavy on him. But he could already tell who it was.

'These guys must have been shocked the living hell out of their lives. Akane almost died today and I couldn't do anything to stop. I need to get stronger.' Nexus looks at a tab that popped up. 'And I forgot. I got the last attack bonus… and it's a pretty good one-handed sword… Like I needed something like this… I'm perfectly fine with this. But there is something that I need to do.'

Nexus looks at his friends and they all had a face of relief as he looks at his sister who is tightly hugging him. "C'mon sis. Get up. You're going to drain the remainder of health."

"H-How… I almost lost everything and I almost lost you? Why? Why do we have to do this? Why do we have to risk our lives for people that are ungrateful? People that hate you and Kirito. People who constantly fight. G-Nexus… Big bro… Why does this happen? Why are we stuck in this game?!"

"I don't know Nirv... I don't know everything, but I don't fight for people that aren't grateful." Nirvana looks up at her brother. "I fight for you. I fight for your brother. Kirito. People that we know back home. Mom, Dad, Yuuki, Aiko, Hozumi, And our new friends. Agil, Asuna, Argo, Sachi, Ren, Koharu, Silica. Having people like you guys give me a reason to fight A reason to charge through… But there is one thing that I can't forgive, no matter what. Can you stand?"

Nirvana nods as she stood up wiping the tears from her eyes and Nexus opens his menu in silence as Kirito tries to say something but Nexus gives the same look that Kirito gave him the previous floor. He equips his new sword and takes a look at it. It was a sword with a red handle with a silver blade with edges that had a clear metal around it. Perhaps a diamond edge for extra look. "Furious Crusader" was the name of the sword. After sheating it, he slowly walks to Kibaou and grabbed his attention.

"Huh? What do you wa-!" Kibaou received a blow straight to the stomach as he falls onto the floor wincing in pain.

"Kibaou! Are you going to finally listen to us after this incident now?! We told you about that last the minotaur. We told you about that but nooo! You had to ignore Kirito's advice and now look at what happened. We lost eleven people! ELEVEN! And my sister almost had to die because of your bullshit?! Because you didn't listen to us! We told you that there was going to be one more taurus, and you just shrug it off like we're a bunch of crazy people!" yelled Nexus as the others were looking at him with a concerned look. He wasn't the only one irritated at Kibaou.

"You got to admit it. Why did we spend so much time in that side quest with Argo?" said Hera as he was talking to Koharu and Asuna.

"Because we could've been one of the ones that died to that last minotaur." Asuna answered with a frown.

"And even if we didn't die, we wouldn't be able to save as many people if we weren't prepared for that minotaur. If we weren't ready for that last Taurus, then your sister might not be alive or worse." Koharu added.

"That's it! It's only been one motherfucking floor since last time and I'm already sick of explaining it to you. I'm not going to remind you the next time." Nexus sighs as he walked back to his party and sees Kirito looking at him. "Dude, don't give me that look."

"Sorry, it's just that he irritates you with the way that he acts with all of us, but you can let it go. What's done is done."

"Yeah. It's so irritating though." Nexus takes a deep breath before shrugging it off. "I would like everyone to pardon my french. It was uncalled for. Anyways, guys. Next floor is the where the hard part begins. Floor 3 is the start of human enemies. So, we'll have to fight monsters that look like normal people." stated Ren as Nirvana and Silica were terrified for a bit.

"That means we have to kill people in order to continue?" Nirvana said quietly.

"Nah, sis. They aren't necessarily humans. They're elves. We can't do much about the subject though. That reminds me. When we get to the next floor and seperate with the others, one of you guys will get a prize, Decide by playing rock paper scissors or something." said Nexus as he said bye to Ren and Koharu who went ahead as Kirito was long gone and Asuna stayed behind for a bit.

Floor 3

Nexus, Nirvana, Hera, and Silica find themselves in a dark forest that seemed endless as the eye could see.

"Hey, Nexus. Silica won the little rock paper scissors round. What does she win?" Nexus looks at Silica with a smile.

"Congratulations, Silica. You win… well, do you happen to have a pet in the real world?" Silica nods with a smile.

"Yeah! I have a cat named Pina. Why?"

"Well, there is a quest we can do on this floor that is a first come first serve. Then afterwards, we'll do the main quest to reach the town where the labyrinth is. Let's hurry up and take care of this quest."

Nexus and the others wonder through the Forest of Wavering Mists as a thick fog surrounds the group and they eventually see an old man in the middle of a temple where an blue colored egg was behind him. Nexus casually equips a new two-handed sword and he signals Silica to walk ahead of him.

"Only the one that is going to receive the dragon can take the dragon. Don't worry, you can do all the talking and when the system recognizes that you're going to be the one that receives the dragon, we can help you with the mini boss. We got your back."

"Good luck Silica! We believe in you!" Nirvana cheered Silica.

"Uh, sis. She doesn't need luck with just talking to an NPC. Anyone can do that all by themselves." Nexus gives his brother look.

"Don't be mean to your sister, Hera."

"Thank you, everyone!" Silica turns around shaking a bit before slowly walking to the old man. He looks at Silica closely.

"Young one. Have you come for my legendary treasure? I tell you. This treasure has been sent by one of the one the legendary dragons known across the tower. I was chosen to keep this treasure safe from any unworthy travelers so I tell you this. Prove me your worth in one simple test. Defeat my monster and I will grant you this dragon's treasure." The man taps his staff on the ground and the quest icon pops up in front of Silica as she hesitantly accepts it. "Very well. It seems that you have made your choice."

Suddenly the ground shook as the four fell to the ground and Nexus looks behind the temple to see a massive tree trying to pull itself out of the ground which made him a bit pale.

'Great… Giant tree thing that is thirty times my height and weight. This was definitely not in the beta. I hate you Kayaba. I honestly fucking hate you.' Nexus stands up after pulling his siblings and Silica up and the four prepare their weapons. "Ok, guys. Not much I can say about this tree, except that it probably has a wind-up time where it attacks so when it pulls his arm back, circle around him and that's when you deal the blow."

"Got it!"

Everyone agrees as Nexus dashes to the tree spirit and raises his sword high for it to glow orange and slams it down at the trunk of the tree doing quite a bit of damage. The others go to the side where they hit the base of the tree while it focuses its attacks on Nexus. Then the tree spirit pulls its arm back and Nexus dodges back almost instantly as the tree slams down causing dirt to fly everywhere. It unfortunately got it arm stuck and everyone thought it was the perfect moment to strike as Hera activated Snake Bite and does two horizontal slashes before immediately going into Rage Spike and stabs the trunk. Nexus seeing the opportunity tosses Silica up in the air with his sword as a support and she slowly descends down by using her knife to impale the tree and slowly descending while making a huge cut where Nirvana does a quick Rapid Bite. The health bar was easily draining down at a fast rate and Nexus activates Blast to do the finishing blow and cuts the tree spirit in half.

'Well, that went way easier than I thought. There's no way that Kayaba would make this that easy.' thought Nexus, however, he sees the Quest Cleared tab in front of Silica and she eagerly presses the circle button before jumping in the air. He facepalms as his siblings were celebrating their success. 'On second thought. Once again. Screw you Kayaba.'

Silica goes to the old man and after comes down with her head a bit down.

"What's up Silica? You seem a bit down in the dumps. What's wrong?"

"Well, the person that gave me the reward didn't give me a dragon egg. It was dragon food and a book. It says that one of the shops in the upper floors will have a dragon for sale and the only way to buy is to feed it this food." Nexus slaps his face.

"And Kayaba is just killing me even more. So we have to keep going up the floors for a chance to find a item that might come up on the 100th floor. Kill me now. I sick of his bull." Nexus sighs. "Well on the another note, we might get it next floor, it works in percentages like that, so let's move on. We've got a main quest to solve. And be careful. There are elves that might not be so friendly."

"Yeah!"

'What happened today woke me up about this game. I can't be caught up in this wild fantasy that we'll be ok no matter what. If we are all together, we'll be ok… I truly must get stronger, even if it means I have to go ahead to push them even further, then I'll do it. Akihiko Kayaba, just you wait. You made enemies with the wrong beta-tester.' thought Nexus.

 **Well, I'll like to apologize for the long pause and missing the deadline last Sunday. I simply needed a vacation with the family and such. Well that and the Maplestory 2 beta! (I'M NOT SORRY ABOUT MISSING OUT FOR THAT REASON! Kidding kidding. It was still a hype train for me and it distracted me for a bit.) Hope you guys forgive me. To make up for that, I made this chapter a tad bit longer than usual just so I don't feel like I was being lazy while I was on vacation. I made a decision as I wrote this chapter that I'm going to be skipping floors. As I said earlier, I won't be going based off Integral Factor and the anime. This is the part where I'll be taking the initiative in this story. So next chapter, we're going straight to Floor 40. Everyone will be level 38 as they all fallen back a bit, except Nexus who will be level 52 just for convenience. Will the Black Swordsman story still take place? I don't know quite yet. However, I know that this week is going to be a pain in the ass because I haven't even begun planning for the next chapter and HyperHeart RWBY. So, until next time. This is masterstarman1002 signing off. STAY CLASSY!**

 **BTW HyperHeart RWBY Volume 1: Signal Academy just had its finishing conclusion. I suggest you look into it, as the continuation of this story will eventually intersect with HyperHeart so to understand everything, check it out.**


	5. The 1 MAT

**I'm late as per usual. At this point, you guys shouldn't be surprised. I had finals and SCHOOL IS FINALLY OVER! SUMMER VACATION! WOOOOOHHHH! That does not mean that more uploads or bigger chapters. I have summer school and SAT prep. I know it sucks, Asian parents. Anyways, for those that do not know, I have an archiveofourown account and it's currently not looking all the great over there... You guys should check it out. BTW, this chapter... Well, it gets... On second thought, I shouldn't spoil what happens. See ya at the end.**

"Asuna… I'm the one that's going to do it. I mean, do you see anyone that has their hands raised? If not, I'm going."

"Hey! You don't have to do this! Why are you doing this?"

"~~~ died..."

Nexus the Multi-wielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 5: The 1 MAT

Floor 40 Dungeon

(Two weeks ago.)

October 18th, 2023

"Yeah!" A man cheered as the boss room was filled with cheers of excitement and Nexus flops to the ground as he sees his menu. It was the last attack bonus menu and he opens the menu to see that it was a spear. And it's stats were barely higher than the one he has so he taps Nirvana's on the shoulder as she looks at her older brother. Nexus activates a trade request and sends the spear to her as she happily accepts the gift and equips it. The spear had a long brown handle with a red attachment at the end with a blade the shape of an upside down cross.

Everyone is wearing a new outfit since last time. Nexus now wears the Might of Ends which is a blue coat over a black chest plate. The coat has black lines around it and chain where the pockets are. He wears black pants which covers his legs. He, while using all weapons, is mostly seen using either a steel broadsword with a black handle called The Void or a neon green one-handed sword called Hope's Protector.

Silica is wearing a yellow jacket with red lining on the edges of her outfit. She wore yellow boots to match her outfit over black long socks. All over the upper part of the outfit are armor parts over the yellow jackets being held together by two massive belts. Her hair is now tied with two ribbons which she wanted to wear as she wanted to keep the looks she had in the real world. She wields a silver knife called Aetherius which had a brown handle.

Hera is wearing a red samurai armor that he received from Klein. It was a red shirt under a wool overshirt with a yellow star on it. He wore a red bandana, armored pants, and brown boots. Despite it being looking heavy, it's surprisingly light for him and is very mobile in it. He wields a gold one-handed sword with a black handguard called Shadowfang and now has a shield. It's a round shield, with bronze edges.

Nirvana well now has a new spear. Besides that, she now wears a black sleeveless dress with red outlines and black armor on top. She has black gauntlets on her arms and black greaves reaching up to her thighs. She also decided to dye her hair pink and tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon.

Nexus wasn't paying attention to winning, he was more focused on the fact that a player had died right in front of him. It tries to

Ren now wears a set of white armor with black outlines all over the jacket which is over an iron chest piece that offers a good amount of protection and wears black leggings, a pair that was sewed by Nirvana as a gift to Ren and Nexus that give a small strength buff. Finally, Ren wields a bronze looking sword with a red gem on the guard, with a silver ring with a white aura.

Koharu wears the "Knights of the Blood Oaths" outfit which is a red and white uniform even though she didn't join the guild. However, Heathcliff, the guild's leader, allowed it as it provided a suitable amount of defense and speed to which. She uses a Rapier with a green blade with the word Aincrad written on it. The rapier also has a blue gem attached to it. She has the same ring as Ren.

The group were curious about the fact but soon figured it out later, at the wedding. Yep. Koharu and Ren got married a few weeks ago and the rings were from a certain quest that they had completed.

*Flashback

Floor 33: Saranthia

Ren and Koharu woke up together in the same room as the two smiled at each other. It's been a whole year on Floor 19 where the first confessed to each other without the others knowing. Today was going to be a nice day for the two. They were going to do a simple quest that Argo had recommended to them.

The two had to follow a treasure map which outlines the whole floor where Ren and Koharu had to find a sword, a shield, a helmet, and a piece of armor before going to the dungeon. But hey, let's go back to the two.

"Morning Koharu. Want to get up soon?" Ren says after getting ready for the day.

"Ehh. Can't I just sleep for a few more minutes?" asked Koharu as she snuggles up on the bed only for Ren to look at her.

"C'mon. We haven't had any fun days in a long time. Plus this quest that Argo gave us has a good fantasy feel. And I know that's something you really want to see it." Koharu gets out of bed with a puffy face as Ren smiles at how Koharu looks.

"You're playing dirty, Ren. You know that?" Ren nods in response. "Fine. Give me a minute while I change."

"Oh, why? It's just a game after all. You can just change it in your menu, after all." Koharu gives Ren a death glare and he starts sweating a bit. "Ok, fine. Less teasing in the mornings. duly noted."

Ren waits outside his house that he lives in with Koharu. It's in the town known as Larioth, which is filled with passive monsters that are willing to give out free items and trade. So, Ren decided to do a bunch of quests and asking Nexus for some money, was able to buy a nice house.

Ren has shown to be a light teaser when it comes to being around Koharu after they got together. Despite that, he's still the nice teen that he is and Koharu is no different except the fact that she opens up to Ren about her interests in mythology and fantasy manga which the two have in common.

Koharu opens the door and the two go through the floor looking for the items as they start with the shield that was the closest to the town. They eventually reach a large statue of a woman holding a sword at the bottom of a dam. The base has a slot which fits the map perfectly and Koharu inserts the map and the statue reveals a corpse with the shield that looked the same on the map. Not wanting to touch it, Koharu forces Ren to grab the shield while standing a few feet back and he reaches for the shield as the corpse grabs Ren's arm and wakes up. It releases its grip and Ren jumps back a bit and unsheaths his sword while Koharu coming closer and takes out her rapier.

The corpse reaches into the coffin and takes at a wooden staff and gets adjusted into it's fighting stance and the name of the monster pops up in the top as Ren and Koharu try to hold in a laugh. On top of the corpse lied the name, Sgt. Pinkleton and a bar of health. Goddamn, it Kayaba.

Ren went ahead to Sgt. Pinkleton, as the two charged a sword skill and the weapons clashed. The two struggle as Ren is being overpowered only for Koharu to stab the corpse as it flew into the statue. Ren readjusts his footing and looks at Koharu.

"Thanks. This guy may not have a lot of health but his strength is the same as a floor boss. He's pretty fast too, so we need to catch the A.I. off guard and destroy Pinkleton."

"I'll deflect his attack so you take care of him," Koharu said as she adjusted

The two nod and they rush towards Pinkleton who shrugs off the stab and activates its weapon shines green while Koharu rapier does the same. Pinkleton thrusts at Koharu only for her to smack the staff down and she slashes Pinkleton like a triangle causing it to struggle long enough for Ren to activate Deadly Sins. His sword glows blue and he slices twice like an X before slicing right, before upwards in a spin. He then slices right immediately slicing left and then spun for a massive slice to the right.

The health bar for Pinkleton reaches zero and he explodes into pixels and the shield falls onto the floor. The map inside the slot flies out and smacks Ren in the face of which makes Koharu laugh as she picks up the shield. A name pops out. "The Shield of the Vile."

"Weird name. And it can't be equipped. Hey, what was the name of the map that Argo gave us?" asked Koharu where Ren looks at the info button.

"The name of the map is called… "The Map of the Vile". Do you think that all the items on this map have to do with something called the Vile or something?" Ren looks at the map. "In any case, the second item, which is the armor is pretty close by. We can take a break after that."

"Sure!" The shield disappears into Koharu's inventory.

The second location is a huge tree where the two had to climb up the bark of the tree to find a huge hairy monster with a beak. It was asleep and the tree was filled with treasure as an empty suit of armor was sitting on a golden throne.

"Hey… Can we get the armor without waking up the monster?" Koharu whispers to Ren as he looks around.

"I don't know. It might be tricky. But it's going to be close to impos-" Ren couldn't finish his sentence as the giant woke up and the tree started to shake. "On second thought. Guess we have to fight! Of course, something like this is going to happen."

"Nothing, good ever happens to us." Koharu sighs as the two prepare their weapons.

"That isn't true. Some good things happened to us." Koharu looks at Ren. "After all, I wouldn't have met you otherwise. During our time together between the beta and here has been fun. Now, we're together. And isn't that the beauty of all this."

"I guess so. Have you been reading too many romance novels in the real world? That was a cliche."

"Ah shut up! Let's just fight already!"

Ren and Koharu look at the monster and the name Gargap appears above it with three bars of health. The huge monster jumps and rolls at Ren and Koharu who were able to sidestep away. Unfortunately, the tree can't handle the weight of the monster and the tree topples over into the plains as a wondering Nexus accompanied with Nirvana, Hera, and Silica see the tree fall down and they dash to the scene and a suit of armor fall on top of Hera.

"You ok?" Silica helps Hera get the black suit of armor over him. Hera stands up and nods. "That's good. Hey, is that Ren and Koharu over there?"

Nirvana points to Ren and Koharu s the huge monster exploded into pixels.

"Yeah. Looks like they had their fun. Do you guys think that the armor has anything to do with the tree falling?" Nexus asks the group which they all nods. "That's what I thought as well. Hey does the armor have a name?"

Hera taps the icon. " "The Armor of Ausar." Does that ring a bell?"

"Maybe. Sounds like an old game back in the tens. Anyway's the victor goes the spoils. Let's take it the champions."

Ren and Koharu dropped down exhausted as Gargap was a tank that ate up their attacks. Koharu looks up to see a set of armor walking towards her and shows a look of fear.

"Well look at what we have here. Two weaklings for the taking. What to do? What to do?" said the voice from behind the armor.

"Damn! This is not good. At all." Ren said trying not to hold a laugh. He could tell that Koharu couldn't see the Nexus standing behind the armor. He signals saying that Nexus should stop the joke and Silica stands next to Koharu and Koharu gives a shocked expression causing Ren and Nexus to fall on the floor laughing.

"Silica?! Nexus!? Hera!? Nirvana!? You guys scared us!" She looks at Ren. "Well, you scared me. That was not cool."

"Sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you guys. We saw the tree falling and this suit of armor fell on Hera. Were you guys looking for this? It's called "The Armor of Ausar."" Nexus hands it to Ren as Ren takes out the map, comparing the two armor and he nods.

"Thanks for that. This is exactly what we needed." Ren taps the button and the armor disappears into his inventory.

"What are you guys up to? Argo said that she wanted to give you this quest but you denied it. What happened?" asked Koharu.

"We had to stop a bunch of raging bulls on Floor 36 for a quest. Hera made it worse than it should've been. He was flailing his sword around and accidentally hit one of the bulls. You can figure out what happened after that." Nirvana sighed at Hera.

"You didn't have to tell them that. It was purely an accident." Hera exclaimed at his sister. "We were able to bring them all back in the pen, right?"

"At the cost of Silica's safety… If it weren't for me, Silica might've died. And if I didn't have enough health, I would've died myself." Nexus said with a bit bitterness. "However. We shouldn't focus on that. The thing is that we all made it out alive and the quest was completed. So what's the special quest that Argo gave you?"

Ren shows Nexus the map and opens it up, revealing the map of Saranthia and the locations that Ren and Koharu were heading to.

"We're going to these locations as they each had an item relating to a warlord in the past called "Ausar the Vile". Once we've finished collecting all the items, then we'll take it to Argo. She tells us what to do from there. So far, we've collected the shield and now the armor. Which leaves "The Vile Blade" and "The Vile Helm" which are held near or in the dungeon. Helm's located inside the dungeon so that's going to be the last thing that we're going to take."

"Sweet. This quest sounds interesting. May we join? It'll get the job much faster. You guys can keep the reward though." asked Nexus but Koharu refuses.

"Sorry, Nexus, but I'm going to refuse. We already started this quest on our own and we plan on seeing it through. Plus this is our special time if you get what I'm talking about." Koharu winks as Nexus understands perfectly.

"Oh sorry. I didn't want to intrude. We'll let you guys have your fun."

Nexus and the others said bye leaving Koharu and Ren all by themselves. Ren looks at his hand which was a pouch of sandwiches that Nexus gave to him. He said that he made to many and its durability was going to end, so Koharu and Ren enjoyed the sandwiches which were filled with veggies and beef.

After their break, Ren and Koharu walk towards the dungeon and they both see a sword in a tree stump. Its blade shined and Ren walks towards the blade and he tries pulling it to no avail and Koharu tried afterward who also had no luck. They both tried but the sword was stuck and the tree stump started to shake revealing a mole like giant with arms and it grabs a giant wooden club from its butt which made Koharu disgusted at the sight but shrugs it off, deciding to take a shower despite its still just code. Only one bar of was above it and the name Bog Giant popped above it.

Ren activates Slant while the Bog Giant tries to slam the trunk but the strength of the Giant was proving a bit of a challenge. Koharu activates Neutron and jumps up stabbing the Bog Giant in the stomach four times before landing on the ground forcing the giant to move back a little bit, giving Ren some breathing room. Ren prepares a sword skill, but the giant moved at an abnormally fast pace and Ren was slammed away, and Koharu calls out towards him only to look back to get punched in the same direction landing on top of Ren as her HP goes down to almost in the yellow color while Ren was in the orange.

"You ok, Koharu? We need to stand up. Drink a potion while I'll take care of the giant," Ren says as Koharu nods and starts drinking the potion and he plans a bit before dashing in. 'Ok so this big thing is big and fast but Koharu's Neutron took a quarter of its health so, the best strategy would have to be hit and then run away. Rinse, repeat, and victory.'

Ren dashes towards the monster and dodges an attack before activating Slant for a quick strike before jumping back. After that, he activates Vorpal Strike and thrusts at the arm where the monster was holding the branch which barely brushes the arm, giving him enough movement to past through and goes back to Koharu that finished drinking her health potion.

"Koharu, we need to do quick strikes and then jump back to avoid any hits. That is our only way to really do this as quick as possible. So, do a small attack like Linear. It should finish off what's left of its hp." Koharu nods and she dashes in and activates Linear and aims right through the giant's stomach and the HP reaches zero as the monster falls onto the floor exploding into pixels and the sword flies out and spins in the sky which the blade lands near Ren's head.

Ren gets over the shock and drinks a potion as he hands the map over to Koharu and she opens the map to which she nods. The two finished up and headed into the dungeon where they spent an hour and they see an altar where the helmet was in a slot where slots were empty. Ren used his intuition and puts the other items in various slots that seemed appropriate to it.

"Nothing's happening. Are you sure that we were supposed to do something like this?" Koharu wonders as the last slot appears out of nowhere and Koharu puts in the map to which a passageway opens up. "A path opened up. Maybe it'll lead to somewhere good?"

"Sure, maybe we got our reward for the quest," says Ren as he walks inside the new passageway with Koharu inside. The passageway leads to a room where a statue of a married couple is shown as the two hold a floating ring as it falls into Ren's hands. He inspects the statues seeing that the man was wearing the armor and held a sword that was similar to the sword on the pedestal before walking back to Koharu. "That's all. It's a wedding ring. We should go turn it into Argo."

"Yeah. I'll message her to meet us back at the town. This is going to be good." Koharu was the first one to reach the top to see the armor, sword, and shield fading away into ash. "Oh. They're vanishing!?"

"Maybe the items were just keys and they were gotten rid of once they're using has expired," Ren said as he takes out a teleport crystal and handing it to Koharu before taking another one. "Let's go meet Argo."

Koharu nods.

"Teleport Saranthia!"

Koharu and Ren meet Argo in the bazaar and explains about the ring as she looks excited at the fact. Once they finished explaining, Argo takes the two to an old man and asks them to present the ring.

"That ring. Where did you get it!?" said the old man who had a furious tone.

"We got it after placing the equipment of Ausar the Vile in an altar which led to an opening to a statue of a married couple. Does this look familiar to you?" Koharu asked as the old man takes the ring.

"Yes, it does, This ring belonged to my wife, back during my time as Ausar the Vile. However, I go by a different name now. I go by Siris now." He looks at the ring before taking out another one of the same design and looks at it before a tear leaves his face. "I'm sorry, Isa. I had no idea what I was doing." Siris gives the two rings to Ren. "Take it. It benefits me no longer. It only gives me grief."

"Thank you, then," Ren said as Siris motions the group to leave them. Ren and Koharu walk away and look at the two rings. "So, what do you want to do with them? I mean they're enga- oh… Oh! OH! OHHH!"

"What is it?" Koharu looks at Ren before he takes her hand and puts the ring from the room on her finger.

"Call it a marriage request. I mean, there is a marriage system in this game, right?" Ren looks at Koharu as she starts tearing up and nods.

"Yes. And I accept!"

And in a matter of a week, there was a huge marriage ceremony back on Floor 1, where a massive church was at. It was mostly used for Christian services for the players that are well Christian to which Nexus, Nirvana, and Hera go every Sunday, except for the days where there is a boss battle. The wedding was small as Nexus, Silica, Nirvana, Asuna, Kirito, Klein, Argo, Heathcliff, and the assault team were there. … On second thought, that's a lot of people. Nexus actually got one of the priests to be the one to lead the ceremony and it went out with a bang.

*Flashforward

Floor 41 Janlea

The floor was a forest with a small town next to a beach that extends to the majority of the floor. The town looked like some sort of bazaar with Nexus and Silica were exploring the marketplace looking for a small dragon. It has become a tradition that the two would look for a dragon after each floor was completed. Suddenly, Silica got really excited as she points to a dragon that was just sitting around on a man's table. Nexus smiling as the two dash up to the dragon. The dragon has a blue body covered in soft, pale blue feathers and two long feathers on the back instead of a tail.

Silica opens the container to find it full of peanuts to which causes Nexus to silently curse at Kayaba and Silica happily feeds the peanuts to the dragon to which hearts appear above the dragon and flies on top of Silica's head. Nexus smiling pays for the dragon and the two head back to Hera and Nirvana.

"There are three amazing things that happened today! I mean we cleared the Floor boss, we found our dragon after thirty-something floors and now you're going to be famous. I mean, you're the first tamer ever from what I hear. This is going to be massive news, I'll tell you that."

"I don't know. I don't really want all of the attention." Silica nervously fidgets as she looks at her new dragon friend.

"Some people don't really want attention, guess you're one of those people. Say, have you figured out a name for this dragon… boy… girl? I don't know the difference."

"I think Pina shouldn't have a specific gender. I think Pina should just be Pina. Nothing more."

"Sounds fine. Well let's see what we can do," said Nexus.

*Timeskip

Nexus, Hera, Nirvana, and Silica are going through a dungeon for some grinding when Nexus found out about that everyone was way underleveled. They were currently fighting a few golems while Nexus takes out his club and smashes the leg which causes the body to crash into the wall of the dungeon which causes stones to fall down between Nexus and Silica with Nirvana and Hera.

"Hey! You alright, over there!" Nexus yelled as he tries to move the rubble. "Damn it! Why is the Cardinal System not fixing this!?"

"I don't know. But the exit is on this side! Why don't you guys try using a teleport crystal?!" yelled Hera as Nexus takes out a crystal and handing it to Silica.

"Try using it. It's worth a shot."

"Right. Teleport Janlea!" Silica shouts as she tries to use her crystal. "It's not working."

"No way. Then we'll have to get some help! So can you guys stay here until we find someone?" yelled Nirvana.

"Yeah. We'll be here. Please don't take too long!" Silica said.

"Don't worry. We won't be long!"

Silica and Nexus waited for a long time near the area of debris. Too long that Nexus and Silica had to fight monsters that had respawned in the area in order to protect themselves. Eventually, they did hear voices from the other side after who knows how long.

"Hey, is anyone there!?" The voice sounded very familiar to Nexus.

"Klein! Is that you? It's Nexus! Are Hera and Nirvana with you!? It's been forever!"

"Nexus! Wait. Urgh… No. Anyways. Are you alright? We'll get you out in a second, but we need you to help as well."

"Sure. Hey, Silica. Can you be on the lookout while we do this?"

"Yeah! I'll protect you! Pina and I will take care of you!"

"Thanks! I'm counting on you!" Nexus starts working through the stones with Klein and his guild worked on the other side. "Klein! Do you know what happened to my siblings? They went to look for help, but I haven't seen them for who knows how long."

"About that. Everyone saw them. Before then, we were worried about you and Silica. We thought something happened to you two! And after what happened with Koharu and Ren, we were all shocked?"

"What are you talking about? What happened to Koharu and Ren? Didn't my siblings explain what's going on? Where are they to begin with? I mean if you're here than their message got through!"

"That doesn't matter right now! Why hasn't the system fix this problem and we have to do this manually!?" Klein says as he tries to change the subject,

"I don't know. Maybe the Cardinal System is having a problem right now. Who knows what Kayaba is think- Ah, I see a hole! I can see Dale! Do you see me?"

"Yeah, I do. We'll focus on this area!"

"Nexus! We need some help!" Silica said as Nexus turns around to see Silica having a hard time fighting off some golems.

"I'm coming! Give me a second!" Nexus takes out his club and dashes in with his club glowing light green and smacks the golem's leg to the right and then jumps up and smashes the golem on the floor which gives the Silica the opening to use Rapid Bite and she charges enough to slice the golem into pixels. Pina activates a healing breath bringing Silica's health back to green. Nexus looks around to see orcs around them as he sighs. "Guess we have business to be taking care of."

Nexus equips his trusty neon one-handed sword and readies himself as they turn around before having to run away as the rocks were crashing down revealing Klein and the rest of the Fuurinkazan guild that he leads.

"Alright! Let's take out these monsters and get the hell out of here!"

Nexus, Silica, and the Fuurinkazan guild had no problem taking out the monsters in proximity and everyone was able to level up at least once.

"So, Klein. Where are my brother and sister? What happened to them?" Nexus asks Klein who looks away. "Tell me! What happened to them? What's going on?"

Klein looks at Silica before taking Nexus to a more private area as he was struggling to speak.

"I'm sorry, for your lost," Klein muttered as a huge amount of fear went through Nexus's body.

"W-What did y-you say? What did you say!?" Nexus yelled as he grabs Klein's shoulders.

"A broadcast was shown in the middle of the city. Everyone was watching what happened as someone murdering Hera and Nirvana."

This statement caused Nexus to drop down onto the floor. He couldn't speak. He didn't know what was going on. His mind was going all over the place.

' _Nirvana, Hera. Dead? No way. That's impossible. This is just a joke, right? Yeah, just a simple joke. Nothing more than that. But why isn't Klein having a smile on his face right? He isn't serious. What's going on?_ '

"Hey Nexus. I don't know what to say honestly. I can only say that I'm sorry for you. They were amazing kids who kept everyone smiling all the time."

"T-This isn't a joke is it?" Nexus looks up to see Klein shaking his head. Tears could be seen falling out of Nexus's eyes. "W-Who did it? Who was the son of a bitch that killed them!?" Nexus could barely speak but a mixture of anger and sadness were filling his whole body.

"Someone by the name of PoH. He was hooded so nobody could see him, but he made an announcement saying that he was starting a new guild. A murder guild."

"A murder guild?" Nexus slowly stands up. "I'll find this PoH and when I'll do, he'll regret killing my siblings."

"Hey! Killing him won't do anything good. You're obviously in shock so take a day or two to really think. Are you going to waste your life and let what they do for nothing!?"

"Klein. I won't kill the bastard. Her- No. Shinzo and Akane wouldn't want me to do something like that. I'll put him in jail, no matter the cost. That's the right thing to do."

"Yeah, and you're not alone in this. You've got me, Asuna, Agil, Kirito, Silica, and the others. We're your friends after all." Klein puts his hand on Nexus's shoulder.

Nexus wipes his face before looking at his friend. "Thank you. But I have one request." Klein looks attentively. "Take Silica with you. I won't be emotionally stable enough to take care of her. If you can watch over her and her dragon Pina. Just enough until she meets another group that can take care of her. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course, I will. We're friends after all."

"Thank you, Klein. Thank you so much."

*Transition

Asuna was with Argo, Ren, and Koharu in a restaurant as they discussed what had happened before what had happened to Nirvana and Hera.

"This is a first, even from the beta. Only one player is allowed to fight a boss. And this is going to continue to happen until Floor 50. That would have to mean that the boss will have considerably fewer stats than the others." said Argo as she had gotten info from Ren and Koharu.

"Even still this would make the boss fight like a duel of some sorts. Two warriors fighting against each other. We're going to have to rely on a skilled player with good enough stats to take on these boss. Otherwise, it's a suicide mission." Ren says as he shows a piece of parchment to Asuna and Argo.

"That being said, the guild leader, Heathcliff may have to be a candidate for these boss. His unique skill, the Divine Blade might make this easier. Kirito and Nexus would also be other candidates as well as me, you two. We are the most skilled when it comes to fights like this." Asuna says as she points at Ren and Koharu.

"I could message Nexus about the subject but Kirito has been quite down since what happened with his guild and Sachi. It's such a tragedy." Koharu wipes a tear from her eyes as Ren comforts her.

"That being said, what's going to be our game plan? All the intel I have in my arsenal, and there is nothing in this sort of thing." Argo says as she drinks her tea.

"For now, finding the boss room is the main priority. That and we should buff everyone up in levels. Maybe at least 10 levels. That might take too long until we reach Floor 50, but it'll be useful for the future boss fights, so everyone is not just sitting around fiddling with their thumbs." Everyone nods in approval to Ren's idea. "And does anyone here know any good blacksmiths? Good equipment is hard to come by and I'm not particularly trusting to Hera's craftsmanship."

"There is one. Her name is Lisbeth and she's currently a good blacksmith that's even better than some of the NPCs. She's on Floor 33, working in an NPC's smithy, trying to get enough money to buy a land for her own. I personally go to her myself."

"Ah, I heard of her. Some of the Assault Team personally get their equipment forged by her. She's pretty good, even the best when it comes to players." Argo added.

"That sounds like a really good one then. Ren and I will go see her." Suddenly a notification pops up in front of everyone as they looked at each other. "This looks suspicious. I mean, why would everyone get one at the same time."

"Maybe Kayaba grew a conscious and we're all free to go." Ren shakes his head.

"Even if that was a joke, I checked, and nope, the button still not here. But the person that send us this message. Their name is PoH. Sound interesting."

The message was not so interesting. It was downright horrific. It was a message of a call for players to join a murder guild in which was going to be called Laughing Coffin which will be established on the first day of the new year. It had a message saying that killing in SAO was ok and that they are allowed to do so. At the end of the message was a video. A horrible sight for Asuna and co. It was Nirvana and Hera being held together with a piece of rope with a hooded man with a Kitchen Knife like dagger. Their mouths were covered so they couldn't make much noise but they struggled to get away.

"For example, here we have two companions of Nexus. A celebrity in the assault team. Now with a simple flick of the wrist." PoH's knife turns red and he slices Nirvana first on the cheek before putting the knife on her neck and a tear came out of her eyes. "This is goodbye."

The girl health was reduced to zero and she explodes into pixels and that was where the video ends.

"Was that, Nirvana and Hera? Where the hell are Nexus and Silica?" Asuna stated. She looks like she was about to throw up.

"That was them alright. And Nirvana gone… Then the same happened to Hera. What happened? Oh no. Oh god. No. This did not just happen!" Ren says as he puts his hands on his face. "First Sachi and now this. This is just getting worse."

"They were so young. Not even in their teens. How could something like this happen to them?" Koharu started to tear up.

"I don't know. Nexus and Silica weren't in the video, so they might still be alive." Argo says as she opens up her menu to see Nexus's location. "Found him. He's in a dungeon right now. South of the city. And it looks like our good friend Klein is close by."

"I'll message him. Let's suit up. He might be in trouble." Ren says as everyone stands up.

*Transition

"So who else knows?" Nexus asks as he slowly walks back to where Silica was with Klein.

"Pretty much everyone. It was a message sent to everyone on all the floors. Asuna and the others should be here soon."

"K."

Nexus walks back to the area to where Silica and the rest of the Fuurinkazan guild was waiting as Nexus talks to Silica real quick, trying to make it as least gruesome as possible, Silica broke into tears as she hugs Nexus and he tries to comfort his friend while seeing Ren, Asuna, Argo, and Koharu in the distance dashing towards them. They gave words of comfort trying to comfort their friend and Nexus tries his best to show that he would be fine and that he just needed time.

A few days later, the boss room was found and the assault team was surrounded the boss room. Asuna and Ren were looking through the crowd.

"Ok. People, as you know… Only one of us can enter the boss room at a time. So do we have any volunteers?" Ren announces as everyone stays silent.

No one moved an inch until a hand was raised. Everyone looks at the hand to see that it was Nexus.

"Asuna… I'm the one that's going to do it. I mean, do you see anyone that has their hands raised? If not, I'm going." Nexus says as he equips his neon green sword.

"Hey! You don't have to do this! Why are you doing this?" Nexus looks back at Ren.

"My brother and sister are dead. Instead of wasting my time grieving, they would've wanted me to continue on. That is the answer that I found during these past few days. So, I'm going and you can't stop me."

"Are you sure? You might not be thinking straight. At least wait for a floor or something. This is a matter that you should really think on."

"These past few days have shown me something. I need to keep on going, no matter what holds me back. And Kayaba himself gave me something." Nexus gives a faint smirk as everyone chats to themselves.

"What is it?"

"Call it a unique skill if you want. You'll see."

Nexus pasts Asuna and Ren while looking at the door. He opens it and walks into the room to see a knight walking towards him and three bars of health is above it and the name, Ashimar The Sorrowmaker. It wielded a bronze longsword with a silver rectangular shield.

( **Play Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale - "Break Beat Bark!" by Yuna on Youtube."**

Nexus takes out his sword and immediately activates Vorpal Strike, launching himself at the monster and the monster simply dodges causing Nexus to be in the air open to a hit as the monster prepares a blow. Nexus smiles as his sword disappear and his broadsword appears in his hands, which shocks everyone. Nexus impales the ground with his broadsword and spins around on it giving him enough space to dodge and put his feet on the floor while activating War Blade, and strikes the boss five times. After which his broadsword disappears and his Schimitar comes out which amazes people even more and activates Oval Crescent in which he slices an X before slicing up, diagonally and jumps back after finishing the sword skill.

" 0. 10 seconds before I can switch," Nexus mutters as the scimitar disappears and a katana appears in his hands. 'Info is on point, that's for sure. Should I use that?" Nexus looks at his katana before looking at the knight in front of him. The combo was able to do get rid 3/4 of a bar of health as Nexus gets into an offensive stance with his katana. "Sure, why not?"

Nexus blade charges a rainbow color and activates Sanka as he charges while Ashimar tries to slice him. Nexus received a cut and he jabs the shield which gets shot flying and switches to a spear and activates Dimensional Stampede and jabs the boss five times before spinning around for one last hit. He once again switches weapons to the rapier and activates Star Splash in which he does three short thrusts at the chest before two slashes at the target's legs and using his speed performs two strong jabs followed by a final stab at the target's chest. He switches from the rapier to a knife and activates Eternal Cyclone he swings the knife on the boss's chest like an X, twice before slicing right then down then right again, slicing up and down twice creating a small cyclone. Nexus brings out the axe next and activates Demonic Violence as he thrusts the axe into the stomach of the boss before slicing diagonally before another thrust and finishing up with a jump slash downwards.

Ashimar's health reaches halfway of the final bar as Nexus takes out his one-handed sword and the two prepare.

'I'm surprised Dimensional Stampede actually stun locked him for a bit. This is going surprisingly well that's for sure. This boss a.i. Is actually pretty good for the first few seconds, so I gotta wrap this up in a jiffy.'

Nexus and Ashimar slowly walk to each other as Ashimar was the first to strike to which Nexus blocks easily before retaliating with a spin slash, barely cutting the boss as it jumps right to dodge and it's blade glows Orange and activates Slant shocking Nexus as he moves his arm to block and get's cut off before backflipping backwards. That last attack put hit health bar in the red. Nexus looks at where the half of his arm used to be and shakes his head before he puts his sword on his back and it glows blue.

" _You know what job you have?"_

" _Yeah, I do. It just doesn't make sense. Why? Why would you want something like that?"_

" _Let's say that I see a little bit of myself inside you. You follow your end of the agreement, and you'll get what you want."_

" _Guess one miracle is too much to ask for?"_

" _What other miracle?"_

Nexus activates Nova Ascension as he dashes while ducking down while Ashimar slices horizontally. He stands up and slices down diagonally to the right before pausing for a millisecond before slashing horizontally from left to right before slashing again from bottom right to top left. The next slash was the same as the first and the one after that was a repeat of the third hit. The slash after that was an immediate return hit from the previous one and goes from bottom left to top right. Nexus then spins clockwise, sending a wave of energy that makes a hit while going against his own momentum, he spins counterclockwise and unleashes another shockwave. Nexus lands on the ground and slashes from top right to bottom left performed while doing a front flip and stabs the boss in the head which did the decisive blow and the boss explodes into pixels.

Nexus sheathes his sword and takes out a potion and starts drinking, bringing his health back at yellow and threw away the empty glass bottle. He looks at his one hand and clenches it.

"One down, 58 more to go. I have a long way to go. Nirvana, Hera, I'll live for you two." Nexus turns around to see Ren, Koharu, and Asuna dashing towards him. "Hey, guys. Guess you guys have some questions?"

"Yeah. What the hell was that?" asked Koharu who was probably the most bewildered out of everyone.

"That would have to be my unique skill, Nexus. How I can change weapons is through the unique skill. After a ten second time, I can switch weapons at will. I mean the word Nexus has a special meaning."

"A connection or series of connections linking two or more things."

"Yeah. That and people are calling you the 1 Mat."

"What does that mean?"

"The One Man Assault Team."

 **I honestly didn't have this planned for this chapter. And I don't know what to honestly say right now. Nirvana and Hera are DEAD! It's sad, I know, but on the other note, we finally get into the multi-wielder part of the story. Yay and nay. Honestly, I don't know what to say at the moment. My mind is actually spinning from what I wrote today. And it's 100% original... NOT! I got some of the names from Infinity Blade and I didn't want to feel like a dick for stealing stuff, so I'll just get it out there. Anything else to say... Oh yeah. Ren and Koharu are now married. I honestly didn't notice Koharu in a wedding outfit in Integral Factor until after I finished reviewing the chapter. I haven't played that game in over a month. It got kinda dull. Now I just feel like I'm rambling on to you guys. What else to talk about...**

 **Oh, I know. Silica is still going to be in the Kiri harem. Somethings just gotta stay. I'm not in the mood or know how to change it. So Kirito is still going to have his harem with Asuna, Lis, Silica, and all the other girls. But I'll try to make it different, I mean I don't want to go completely into SAO and the games. As I always said. It's the original canon, and the games I guess... With my own little spice to it. That's just how I write things. Wonder how I'll rewrite the games or will I just add new scenes to make it my own. That would be fine in my opinion but it isn't fair to you guys. So I'll do my best in order to make this fanfic worth it to you guys. Anyways, I rambled off long enough. This is NexusMC signing off. STAY CLASSY!**


	6. New Companion

**Posting a chapter two weeks late is very unacceptable in my standards. I know that I was gone and all, (and still published the Human on time) but I worked on half of the dang thing while I was on vacation. That's why it didn't take me as long to finish this chapter. Though I also realized that I make a lot of mistakes on my Ipad when I type and such. It was just a mess. That's what the first draft was. The last chapter had some very heavy stuff with deaths and all that. Even though this was my fanfic, I was tearing up. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this chapter before the tears start falling out. Oh god! They're coming out! The tears are coming out.**

Floor 51: Boss Room

"Damn it! Why the hell is the boss so tanky?! And he hits like a truck… and a whole automotive industry!"

Nexus was having a problem with a Floor boss which is a huge black crow which can shoot lightning feathers. Its health bar fell to a quarter of the third bar to which Nexus doesn't' understand why he was doing so little damage despite fighting for 45 minutes now. Nexus drinks a potion bringing his health back to full.

"I haven't tried my skill combo chain. It's a long shot but I should check to see how much damage I can do."

Nexus (the ability) has its own leveling system, but unique sword skills take a longer amount to level up and in the 5 months it's skill level only became 89.4 despite excessive usage. Nexus was aiming at reducing the amount of time needed to switch weapons to at most six seconds and some unique sword skills for all of his weapons.

"Time for KSK." Nexus uses his knife for a Side Bite as the finishing animation moves his arm to the right position and Nexus switches to a Spear and activates Fatal Stab before finally switching to Katana and activating Sanka to do massive damage as he swipes away. He looks at the health to see that it did only ten to fifteen percent of the third bar. "Well better that's for sure. I guess I should be speed fighter for now."

Nexus switches to a rapier and looks for an opening as he sidesteps while the crow drops down and he activates Flashing Lance as he pierces one of the wings which did enough damage to drop the bird's health to the second bar.

"Nice! Halfway now! Time to pull this off with style!"

Nexus prepares his weapon and waits for the crow but it doesn't move which made Nexus nervous. He takes a step forward and the crow takes flight shooting out multiple feather spears which were not aiming at Nexus before ducking down as a feather almost hit him. The crow flies toward Nexus who tries to run away only to be blocked by the feathers and was caught by the claws, crushing him slowly draining him of his hp as he stabs the bird multiple times to escape before being launched at the wall, cracking it and drops onto the floor struggling to get up.

"N-Not good. I need assistance." Nexus looks up as the crow readies to throw it's feathers only for a figure to stab the bird's face with a sword skill before running to Nexus and healing him with a healing crystal.

Nexus was able to see his savior. It was a girl. She had long purple hair, with a red headband. She was wearing a purple jacket with parts of it being white and she wore a brown stomach protector. She wore black shorts that a sword sheath and she was holding a black sword with purple edges.

"Hey, pull it together. Are you alright?" The girl asks as Nexus nods before standing up with the girls long purple hair that reaches down to her mid torso and she wore a purple jacket like armor with white outlining near the zipper and neck area, and red lining around the wrists. The girl had black shorts which had the sheath to her one-handed sword and a purple headband on her head with a yellow symbol on it. The girl helps Nexus up and he leans on his broadsword.

"Thank you… How did you get in here? I thought that only one person can enter the boss room at a time."

"I don't know anything about that. All I know was that you were in trouble so I went in and saved you." Said the girl while thinking.

"It's because we're past Floor 50!"

Nexus and the girl looked at the entrance to see Kirito, Ren, Koharu, and Klein with multiple members of the Assault Team who were already fighting the huge crow.

"Nexus… You do know that after Floor 50, we're allowed to join in these boss battles. You could've died!" Koharu said with a nervous expression.

"And you call me loner," Kirito muttered.

"Shut up Kirito. You're still not in a party to my knowledge."

"Can you two not talk about this joke right now? That huge crow is coming at us!" Ren says as he commands the tanks into a formation.

"Right sorry!"

"Let's go!"

Ten minutes later

Koharu jumps into the air and stabs straight through the crow as the two both fall onto the floor and the boss explodes into pixels. Nexus drops onto the floor with the purple-haired girl sits down and starts to chuckle to herself.

"What's so funny?" Nexus asks with a confused look.

"Oh, it's nothing. You just act like this friend I know. Whenever we play together online, he's always rushing ahead into a boss fight without a care in the world."

"That doesn't sound like me. I at least think before rushing through."

"Then what do you call today, huh? Because it looks to me as if you weren't even thinking about the situation you were in."

"Well, that was a simple mistake. I just didn't realize what floor I was on. And what about you? You dash in and stab the boss for a last-minute rescue attempt."

"I saved you didn't I?"

"Yeah, I'm grateful. Still the eye. I didn't SEE that one coming. Ain't that EYEronic. Love these puns because that's how EYE Roll!"

The two looked at each other before chuckling that turned into laughter.

"Those eye puns could not be any cornea."

The two laugh even harder as Nexus tries his best to sit up straight but was failing hard. Everyone looks at the two who were laughing ballistically before Nexus calms down and asks the important question.

"By the way. What's your name? I'm Nexus."

"Nice to meet you! I'm Yuuki! Let's party up!"

Nexus the Multi-Wielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 6: New Companion

Floor 55

"Yuuki! I'll counter so you attack. With this, we can kill this mini-boss and bring home a new sword."

"Right!"

Nexus takes out his broadsword and activates a quick Explosion sword skill which smashes the Ice Golem's arm giving Yuuki enough time to activate Horizontal Square which let Yuuki do a slice to the left immediately following a slash to the right. She graciously spins around for a third slice and to finish it off, a blow to the right which forms a blue square around her.

The bosses' HP reaches a little bit of red and prepares to attack Yuuki who is in the finishing animation of her Horizontal Square. Luckily, Nexus throws his spear at the Golem's face depleting what little hp it had and with it, the spear explodes into pixels.

"Oh well. I was planning on getting a new spear. You alright?"

"Yeah, I am! Thanks for the assist."

"No prob. I'll take the sword as a thank you gift." Nexus smirks as Yuuki dashes to the sword in the pedestal and takes it. "Hey, that was my kill. That and I lost my spear due to saving you. I should at least get the sword."

"I would but my sword is about to break and I can't reforge it." Yuuki rubs her head as Nexus gives a look.

"I really wish that Liz would set up her shop so she can make you a better sword. Fine, I'll let you have it. Consider it our one-month anniversary I guess." Nexus takes out a teleportation crystal and Yuuki does the same.

"It really has only been one month. I remember when I jumped him and stabbed that big birdie in the eye saving you from a gruesome death. No one would like that."

"I'm still grateful… And you partying without my consent, but I'll let it slide. Now then, Kirito said that he met a certain red-haired girl, and if I learned anything from that Laughing-Coffin member is that she's the cause of everything." Nexus grips his crystal and looks at Yuuki. "Sorry if you had any plans but I have to go to Floor 47. Call it a hunch."

"I'll go with you. Even if it's on a lower floor, going alone is never good."

"Alright then. Thanks, Yuuki."

"Teleport 2"

The blue particles surround the two as the next moment, they're at Floor 47 where they were surrounded by a huge flower patch. Yuuki looks around in excitement and Nexus happily follows until he sees a certain Kirito with… Silica on the bridge. She had a new outfit which had red coloring. However what finds him strange was that Pina was nowhere in sight.

'Wait did they party up? Holy cow, I can't make any more loner jokes for this dude, wait. Those people in front of the trees… They're going to jump them. And I see that red-head.' Nexus thinks as he takes out his one-handed sword while Yuuki looks at him. "Yuuki. Get out your sword, we need to save Kirito."

"Ah! They're going to get jumped. On it!"

Yuuki and Nexus dash towards the scene as Kirito is going to face on seven goons that the red-headed woman had.

One bs overleveled explanation later, Nexus decides to talk.

"Yoo-hoo! May I have everyone attention!? That includes you Kirito and Silica." Everyone looks at Nexus with a confused look. "Thank you very much. Now is there a Roselia here? Redhead. Has a spear… Never mind found you."

Nexus looks at Roselia with a glare and takes out broadsword and slams on the ground.

"Nexus, what are you doing?" Asks Silica with a hint of fear.

"Tracking down their killer." Nexus had an ominous voice. "Roselia, a couple of months ago, you met two people, from that video from PoH. Hera and Nirvana. Am I correct?"

"What about it?"

"Who were the people that killed them? Surely you must know."

"What are you talking about? Why would I know about those people?" Roselia had a nervous sweat falling on her face.

"Do NOT play dumb with me. You have the spear. HER spear. I'll give you ten seconds. Tell me what you know and I'll maybe let Kirito take care of you."

"I don't know anything. I got this spear from an NPC. Stop with these questions!" Roselia gets into a battle stance and charges at Nexus. Yuuki tries to block but Nexus stops her.

"Guess the hard way." Nexus raises his sword at Roselia's neck which is bigger than the spear. "Care to try again."

"T-t… Cave. 43rd floor. Some people are hiding there. That's all I know." Nexus lowers his sword from Roselia's neck and Roselia drops onto the floor. He picks up the spear and its added to his inventory.

"Thank you very much. That wasn't hard now was it?" Nexus looks at Kirito. "Pass the crystal will ya?" Kirito tosses the crystal at Nexus who activates it teleporting the members of Titan's Hand to prison before dropping onto the floor himself with the three rushing towards him.

"Ahh! You alright!?" Yuuki asks while Nexus nods. "Good. What's up with you? You have never been like that before. Had me worried for a bit."

"Sorry, just got a little emotional. Speaking of which Yuuki, you meet Silica? A good friend of mine for many of the floors."

"No, I haven't. Nice to meet you! I met Nexus on the 51st floor and we've been partying up ever since."

"Hi, Yuuki. I'm Silica. It's a nice to meet you!"

"Hey now. We should go back to the inn. We're planning on using the Pneuma flower to revive Pina." Kirito states.

"Pina? Who's that?" Yuuki asks in confusion.

"Pina was my pet dragon. When I was with Nexus in his party, he helped me with a quest that was the start of Pina's quest. He would then help me, every floor looking for a dragon until one day we found it. I fed the bait and then Pina was with me for a long time until recently."

"This happened while I was away. I'm sorry Silica. I didn't know." Nexus says as he looks down.

"It's fine, Nexus. You were grieving yourself. I'm should be the one sorry."

"Everyone, enough of the sorry parade!" Everyone looks at Yuuki. "Jeez, you're putting everyone in a sour mood. You got the pneuma flower, right? Then let's save your dragon and go get some food. I'm starving after that side quest."

"Oh right. We didn't even eat lunch. Say after Pina's back, meal is on me." Nexus offers to the group.

"I'm down with that."

"Yeah."

*Timeskip

Pina being reborn was an emotional moment to say of the least and during dinner, everyone was sharing stories during the time that Nexus and Silica were with Nirvana and Hera. After the meal and night, Nexus and Yuuki stayed with Silica for a bit while Kirito went back to the Front Lines. After a few days, Nexus and Yuuki leave to the Knights of the Blood Oath base where they talked to Commander Heathcliff about the location.

"So, what we got from Titan's Hand is that there is a massive base at Floor 37 in the northern caves," Nexus explains to Heathcliff as Yuuki shows it on a Mirage Sphere. "I would recommend that we take a couple of teams just to check it out. We have no idea about the place right now."

"Interesting. The problem of the matter is that we can't fully trust the information of a murder guild. They could be leading us into a trap." Heathcliff studies the sphere. "However, we can't deny the possibility that someone may be hiding in that hole. We're still getting all of the KoB members on the front lines right now and we can't afford to take many people. Why don't you take people that you can definitely trust and go on a scout for any signs of people there? We'll have a good chance then."

"That does seem like the most reasonable choice of action. Maybe I'll call Ren and Koharu and see if they could help on it." Yuuki opens her menu.

"Smart choice. However, can you do it outside? Heathcliff and I have somethings that we need to discuss."

"Sure. I'll be outside if you need me. Don't make me wait too long."

Yuuki leaves the room as Nexus gives Heathcliff a stare who smiles in return.

"So how does it feel to finally get back those people that killed your siblings?"

"Shut the hell up you bastard!" Nexus had a pissed off look. "They wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you. As you know that I'm only cooperating with you because of that. You better not go back on your promise."

"I won't if you don't. I'm honest to goodness man." Heathcliff made Nexus chuckle a bit as he stands up and walks to the door. "Don't die out there. You're still needed in the next mission."

Nexus looks over his shoulder before looking up front.

"Whatever."

Nexus hides his expression of him being pissed off when he meets with Yuuki as she said that Ren and Koharu gave the ok. The two hurried to the teleportation gate and teleported to Floor 37 where they meet up with Ren and Koharu as they slowly make their way to the northern caves.

"This is the place where they're supposed to be at. Should we go in there to look or is this good enough? I'm kinda getting a bad feeling from this place." Yuuki comments.

"We could, but this is not enough info to say that Laughing Coffin is hiding in here. I say that we should go look inside." Ren takes out a potion for everyone. "We should all drink up, just in case we have to do some fighting."

"Smart idea, Ren." Nexus HP reaches the max as he drank the potion in one gulp. "Is it me? Or does this potion… taste like salt?"

"Salt? What are you talking about? It always tastes the same in the system. Rasberry. Though not sure that's the same really?" Koharu comments as Ren gives her a look.

"Rasberry? That's not what I taste with these potions. It tastes familiar. Something, very nostalgic." Yuuki looks at her hand. "Like a strawberry crepe with whip cream. It tastes so good that Nexus has to make me stop drinking them."

"You were wasting all my hard earned col. Someone had to do something about it." Nexus looks through his menu and equips Nirvana's Spear. "For me. It kinda tastes the same actually. My friend's mom would make those all the time and it tasted amazing, before… Anyways, she did pass the recipe to my mom. It does have a good nostalgic feeling. What about you Ren?"

"When I drink it? It kinda tastes like… a cheesecake. I don't know exactly how the system works. But anyways, let's drop the subject. I'm going in first, you guys watch my back." Ren walks through the cave as Koharu, Yuuki, and Nexus walked in, in that order.

The cave's crystal brought a bright light that allowed the group to see through the caves easily as they looked around. Suddenly, there were sudden footprints around the group as they soon reached a wide area of sorts and the four got into a battle stance with their backs together and formed a big circle.

"Look. There it is. That's the rat that sold her. How's does that make you feel? I think you know what to do." A voice echoed throughout the cave with a hysterical laughter.

"What's going on?" Ren wonders out loud.

"A trap."

*Fwoosh

A person dropped into the middle of the circle as the group noticed and tried to react. It was a hooded figure with the Laughing Coffin's symbol on his arm.

"Checkmate… Time for redemption." The person used his one-handed sword to slice Nexus who instinctively jabbed his spear backward blocking the attack and the four jumped back away from the person. The figure let out a tich noise as he holds his hand in a reverse grip.

"Give up. You're surrounded and outnumbered." Koharu announces as he holds up her rapier.

"That's what you think, Koharu." The hooded figure spoke which shocked everyone as Ren moved to save Koharu from another Laughing Coffin member who was trying to stab her with a knife. Another figure popped out from the exit.

"The famous Nexus the Multiwielder. Giving you to PoH will make our day. And it was so easy for you to get here. Did you honestly think that we would tell that Roselia about our base of operations?" All the Laughing Coffin members laugh. "Newbie. You take care of our celebrity and we'll take of the rest."

Nexus gulps as he blocks a quick strike from the person in the middle. The person he was facing had a perfect form in overpowering opponent in terms of close quarters that are commonly seen in Laughing Coffin's members when they attack members of Knights of the Blood Oath. Seeing a minuscule opening in the open position, Nexus drags the opponent's sword sideways and switches to a mace and slams the opponent to the right into the wall. He then changes to a sword and activated Horizontal Arc which isn't enough to kill the person however the person was able to block it back with the same move and kicked Nexus back.

'The heck? His reaction speed is the same as Yuuki's and she has better reaction speed then Kirito. Ok, let's see.' Nexus activates Vorpal Strike and charges forward at the hooded figure who easily dodges sideways and prepares to stab Nexus to get ground before Nexus stabs the floor with his broadsword and kicks off it before switching into his knife and slices the top part of the hood which covered the face. Nexus drops to the floor and looks at the opponent with a huge amount of fear in his eyes. He couldn't move a muscle in his body even if he wanted to. "Hera? Is that you? What's going on?"

The figure that was Nexus's younger brother stared at him with cold dead eyes as he opens his menu and switches into a black broadsword with a brown handle and gold near the edge of the weapon. Hera walks to Nexus and raises his sword as he looked at Nexus. "You didn't save us. She could've been alive if it weren't for your weakness."

Hera lowers his sword down before being blocked by Yuuki and jumps back in hesitation. The two prepare to attack each other as another member of Laughing Coffin starts running inward the cave.

"Hera! Knights of the Blood Oath members! Many of them are coming. Run! Run away!" Hera looks at the two before giving an irritated look as he dashed into the cave with great speed while Godfree and a couple of other members of Knights of the Blood Oath entered the cave.

"Godfree! They went more into the cave! You can still catch up with them." Yuuki yells as she turns to Nexus who was looking down at the floor with anger. She goes to him and tries to comfort him. "Nexus. It'll be fine. Just hang in there."

"Hera. What's happening? This a nightmare. That's it. Just a nightmare. I mean, he's alive but he tried to kill me." Nexus mumbles to himself as Ren and Koharu dash to Yuuki and Nexus.

"Nexus? What's going on? I thought I saw you fighting Hera." Nexus slowly look up with tears falling out of his face.

"T-That was him. I don't know what's going on, anymore."

"He's alive but with Laughing Coffin. What on earth happened to him?" Koharu gave Nexus a look of concern. "You must be in shock. Just calm down. Did he say anything to you?"

*small flashback.

"You didn't save us. She could've been alive if it weren't for your weakness."

*Back to normal.

Hera's words echoed into Nexus's mind as he has multiple emotions running through him. He said the words that Hera said as he slowly stands up.

"Thank you, Yuuki. You're helping me, a useless cause once again." Yuuki stands up as Nexus gives her a sad smile. "You shouldn't party with me. I'll only slow you down or worse. You might ge-"

*Smack

Yuuki slaps Nexus in the face. Even with the Cardinal System being on and the pain absorber being at 10, he honestly felt every part of that slap as he touches it while looking at Yuuki. "Don't you ever call yourself useless. Don't tell me what to do. You're not useless. You've been working hard and I know because I partnered with you for the past month. Your brother is just confused, hurt. You both lost your sister. He hasn't seen in you in what, five months and been with them? Of course, he'll be different. But if you drop here, then you'll never have him back."

Nexus was taken back by Yuuki's words as he shakes his head and forces a smile. "You're right, Yuuki. I don't know what I was thinking. It's been rough." Nexus looks at Ren and Koharu. "You guys as well. You're my friends. I feel like I've been cold and distant to you guys for these past months. I'm sorry. I just ask. Can you help me with getting Hera, back?"

Ren looks at Koharu before nooging Nexus. "I guess, Yuuki's slap wasn't enough to wake you up?" Ren lets Nexus go and puts his hand on Nexus. "Of course we're going to help you find Hera, back. Speaking of which, Godfree should be back any second, now."

Godfree walks out of the cave with a girl with white hair. The four thought that the girl was a Laughing Coffin member before Godfree giving them the ok saying that she was fine and not a member of Laughing Coffin.

*Timeskip

The time is 1 am in the morning as Nexus went into the Knights of the Blood Oath building and went into Heathcliff's office with a calm look before instantly turning pissed when he saw Heathcliff who had a smile. Nexus slams on Heathcliff desk furiated at the predicament as Heathcliff looked at him all confused.

"Is this your idea of a joke? Nirvana is alive, but you knew full well that Hera joined Laughing Coffin!?" This news makes Heathcliff.

"What do you mean Hera joined Laughing Coffin? I have no idea about what you're talking about."

"Do NOT bs me, Kayaba! Hera is damn alive, but he tried to kill me at the cave earlier today. You knew fully well. That's why you're forcing me into you're Laughing Coffin business? That's it, isn't it."

"I don't… Goro. Or Nexus. I say this. I knew that your brother was alive, but now about his current situation. I don't, fortunately, have that power right now. This matter actually concerns me. How I thought this was going to go done was that your brother was a captive used to trap you and you save him with your own power. He would be safe and you guys would be working together."

"Wait? So you didn't about Hera being in Laughing Coffin?" Heathcliff shakes his head as Nexus sighs and sits down on a chair across the desk. "What do I do?"

"Nexus. Do you remember our agreement?"

"Of course I do. I wouldn't forget about it for the world."

*Flashback

Nexus was mourning the death of his brother and sister alone in his inn room when he heard a knock. He wipes his eyes and opens the door to reveal that it was Heathcliff in front of the door.

"Heathcliff, commander of Kob. How can I help you?" Nexus asks.

"Its a matter of extreme importance. May I please come in?" Nexus opens the door as Heathcliff takes a seat while Nexus offers tea but Heathcliff refuses.

Nexus sits down on the other side of the table. "What brings the leader of the biggest guild of all of Aincrad here?"

"It's nothing. It's just that I wanted to offer my condolences about your siblings and brought a present." Heathcliff opens up his inventory and presses a few buttons as Nexus gets a notification as he opens it up and can't believe his eyes to what he was seeing. A unique skill. He heard of Heathcliff's unique sword skill, but Heathcliff giving him one sent out some sort of alarm.

"A unique sword skill… How on earth are you giving it to me?" Nexus asks as Heathcliff smiles.

"To the person that mastered every single weapon mastery gains a special perk over others. That's what your older brother said, right?" Nexus is taken back. "Of course I would know. I told him that secret while he was working for Argus. Funny enough. Only your brother, you, and I know about this secret. I did make it after all."

"Wait. That means that you're Akihiko Kayaba!? You bastard!" Nexus takes out his sword and swings at Kayaba which hit the notification that said Immortal Object.

"Slow down. Do you honestly think that I would come in here without some sort of precaution? Even with the safety barrier in the town, you can never be too careful with glitches. Nexus, or Iwahashi Goro. I've come to make a deal with you."

"Why would I ever work with someone like you? You're the reason that we're stuck in this hell hole! My siblings are dead because of this game!"

"Duly noted. What if I told you that your sister, Nirvana or Akane was still alive?" Nexus drops his sword. "Do I have your attention? Please sit." Nexus follows Heathcliff's orders without hesitation. "Good. Now, before you're sister was killed, I managed to stop the process of the microwaves opening up, due to my power over the Nervegear. Now, I'll let your sister stay alive, as long as you follow my instructions."

"I don't have a choice here don't I?" Heathcliff shakes his head once again as Nexus stays quiet.

"Right now, your sister is in a forced coma due to her being dead in the world of Sword Art Online, but the final step didn't activate. However, I can save your sister as long as you follow these my orders. A group is rising, the one that killed your sister. Laughing Coffin under the man PoH. I want you to stop him from killing everyone. When I made this world, I didn't expect the chance of murderers. Secondly, I want you to actively be part of the Front Lines until the completion of the game. If you follow these steps fully, Akane will be fine. You know what job you have?"

"Yeah, I do. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Why? Why would someone like you… Akihiko Kayaba, want me to complete this game at a faster rate and why would you care about the people that you trapped in this game?"

"Let's say that I see a little bit of myself inside you, Goro. You follow your end of the agreement, and your sister will be safe and sound."

"Guess another miracle is too much to ask for?" Nexus questions in a sad look as Heathcliff smiles.

"What other miracle could you be possibly talking about?"

"My brother."

"Ah. Shuzo or Hera. Just wait and see. That's a surprise. With that, I must take me leave. I have a guild meeting soon. Farewell, Nexus."

Heathcliff stands up to leave as Nexus grabs the man by the shoulder. "How on earth do you know our names?"

"Oh, that was easy. Your brother and I talk a lot and I just recognized your faces. That reminds me. Some rules are in order. You can't talk about who I am, otherwise. I'll teleport every single person in this game that you care for and force your avatar to kill them. Is that understood?" The thought made Nexus drop his hand and slowly nods. "Good. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Nexus the Multiwielder."

*FlashFoward

"If any case. Your job is the same. Take down Laughing Coffin and arrest all of their members. Your brother is not above taking down PoH. Is that understood?" Nexus nods. "Good. That is all for tonight. Get some sleep. It's been a very stressful day for a child your age."

Nexus walks to the door before looking back. "You know… It confuses me. It sounds like you're genuinely concerned for me and how I deal with this. You also seem like you care about your guild and the other players. It's not like you're faking it, even though I know you. It confuses me."

"Whoever said that my words weren't genuine?"

Nexus looks at Heathcliff before silently walking out of the room and into the inn where he sees Yuuki standing in front of the door with a puffy face. She sees Nexus and pulls him into their room as the two sit away across each other on the twin beds.

"Where were you at this time of night? I tried messaging you, but you haven't been answering my messages for the last hour. What's going on?" Yuuki had a genuine concern on her face.

"I was in a meeting about what happened today. It's nothing too serious." Nexus hides the fact that it was Heathcliff.

"At two o'clock in the morning? For all I know, it could be some secret lover you have… Like Silica or something." Yuuki had the face of jealousy.

Nexus is once again taken back by Yuuki's words as his cheeks start to flare a bit. "Wait. Yuuki? Do you like me by any chance?"

Yuuki didn't say anything as she soon blushed a bit before it turning into a lot.

"W-Well. A-As a friend, yes."

"Yuuki… I'm not stupid like Kirito. I can tell that you're hiding something from me. So I'll ask again. And I'll be truthful. I did not meet a girl this late at night. I went to meet Heathcliff. He can confirm if you want in the morning."

Yuuki was quiet for a few moments as Nexus felt like his heart was using a jackhammer as it beat faster and faster until Yuuki answered.

"Y-Yes. It's true. I-I-I like you."

At that moment Nexus started to blush as he looks away. Nobody has ever liked him as he was an introvert. He walks up to Yuuki and kneels in front of Yuuki. "I'm the same. Yuuki. I like you as well."

The two looked away from each other as there was an awkward silence in the room as Nexus thinks of a way, not to make it awkward when an idea suddenly fills his head.

"Do you want to… Go to that cafe nearby here. Heard that it had good chocolate cake." Nexus asks as Yuuki looks at Nexus.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Nexus nods slowly. "I-I think it would be awesome."

The next day, Nexus and Yuuki took the day off and went to a cafe where a special was having a couple's special where they were served a couple's drink that had two straws in the same cup which did not make the situation any less awkward. The two had to drink at same times where both of them didn't even notice that they were drinking at the same time when Nexus notices and slowly pulls back. A few minutes later, Yuuki receives her chocolate cake while Nexus receives a piece of tiramisu who enjoyed watching Yuuki eating her dessert with tons of energy.

'Maybe this hellhole isn't all that bad.'

 **Well as awkward dates go and cringy confessions, I think this went pretty well despite this being the first time. Yuuki is finally introduced into the story after who knows how long. And despite this being the first chapter that she's in, there is a love confession. This feels like the first chapter of Signal Academy. Boy, I hated that first chapter in the deepest part of my core. Anything else to talk about. Ah! That's right! Hera joined Laughing Coffin. Funny enough, someone messaged me asking if Hera was going to join Laughing Coffin on Discord and I just laughed and shrugged it off. Guess it was in my mind when I wrote this. Also, the protagonist is working with the antagonist. I wonder how this is going to play in with the canon and the final showdown on Floor 76. Well, you just gotta wait and see. This is Nexus MC signing out! Stay classy!**


	7. No Return

**Heyo my fellow SAO fans! This is your host NexusMC.** **At this point, I feel like I'm starting to rush this series. It's like, I have a LOT of time on my hands and I want to skip past the boring stuff right here and now. I just want to get onto the game and you're right about that. I just want to just breeze by and let my writing just take me off to where I'm heading in this path. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this episode/ chapter IDC.**

"So he knows. This is really getting interesting. Almost like a game of chess." PoH says as he looks at his weapon. "However, we're at the losing end right now. We couldn't even finish Grimlock's contract. That's… disturbing."

"Even so. There is a problem, boss. Someone has leaked the info of our whereabouts and a group of clearers is coming over right now." One of the Laughing Coffin spies inside the Knights of the Blood Oaths said.

"Tsk. This is problematic. There is nothing that we can do except stand our ground. Hera!" Xaxa calls out to the boy against the wall. "You can still prove useful. We can use Nexus as a hostage."

"Hmph." Hera grunts as he looks away. "No. I want to kill the bastard. Just thinking about him and my blood boils. There is no way that is going to happen."

"Anger management issues much?" Comments one of the lower people as Hera throws a knife near his head. "Sorry, sir! I didn't mean anything by that!"

"Whatever."

"Guess that's out of the question. What else can we do?" Black says as he looks at a map.

The members of Laughing Coffin think about the situation really hard when some members enter the room.

"Boss! The clearers are here! What do we do?" PoH stands up.

"I have a plan. But you people need to follow every step. If so, this will definitely work in our favor. It'll be checkmate."

Nexus The Multi-Wielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 7: No Return

August 17, 2024,

"This is it. This is our chance to finish off Laughing Coffin and finding Hera." Nexus mutters to himself as the group of clearers walk through the cave. "Man. It's been months since I saw Hera again. I'm definitely stronger than last time. That's for sure." Nexus feels a tap on his shoulder to see Yuuki standing next to him.

"You nervous?" Nexus nods to Yuuki's question as his body shudders a bit. "You have the same look on our first date. All nervous and had no idea what you were doing. It was hilarious."

The two chuckle a bit. "Thanks. I actually needed that. You're still amazing, Yuuki. I just pray that nothing will happen to you."

"Same to you. Just make sure to bring your brother back."

A rumbling noise could be heard as everyone gets into battle positions and Koharu looks up.

"Guys! Look out!" A member of Laughing Coffin falls in the middle of the group and slices two members before jumping onto Ren as he blocks the knife.

Then more enemies start falling from upper levels.

"Ambush!" Someone calls out as the area turns into a huge battleground where the clearers are doing their best to fight back the ambush of Laughing Coffin members.

Nexus dodges from two attackers for a while before he had the opportunity to summon his Broadsword and smacks their weapons away. The two grunt as they raise their hands, surrendering while KoB members teleported them to prison. In the far distance, Nexus sees a hooded figure who faced him as he summons Nirvana's spear.

"Do we really have to do this, Hera? We're a family. We shouldn't be fighting like this." Nexus says as calm as he could.

"As if. What were you doing when Nirvana and I were captured? Standing around being useless. Unlike you, I would've done something. Anything."

"How could I've done something!? I was stuck in the cave with Silica. That's why you guys went to get help, right? What other reason was there?"

"Could've just moved the stones. That way, we wouldn't have put ourselves in danger. Now, look. Akane is dead and I'm here. To be honest. This is the most freedom I have had in a long time. You're not watching me, sis isn't nagging me, and I could not give a care in the world. I love being in Laughing Coffin."

"Are you kidding me? You're hanging around with murderers and scumbags. And you're perfectly ok with that?" Hera nods.

"Yeah. I even do some of the dirty work. Killing people for an amazing amount of col. PoH is actually pretty influential, to say the least. The dude is also quite smart. He ain't here, left with some members. Once we're done with everyone here, we're going to grow even bigger. Get ready, bro." Hera gets into a battle stance as Nexus does the same.

"I'm going to save you Hera, no. Shinzo. I'll save you and Akane. We're going back to the real world! Even if it means having to take you down!"

"Akane is dead. Just like you!"

Hera dashes head first with his blade in a reverse grip as he slices horizontally towards Nexus which is easily parried. Before Nexus could launch a counterattack, Hera slides around Nexus and kicks him in the back causing him to be toppled forward and rolls onto the ground. Midroll, Nexus takes out his axe and slams it into the ground which stops the momentum and dashes toward Hera where the two clashed their weapons in a power struggle while the two try to overpower the other.

"Akane isn't dead! Kayaba is holding her under her finger!" Nexus words cause Here to flinch a bit. "I'm forced to do his bidding just to make sure that she stays alive! And it was him. I couldn't do anything against him."

"And you trust him! Naive. Why would Akihiko Kayaba come to you and say that Akane is still alive? Do you have any evidence to prove that she is really alive?"

"...No. I don't. I can't risk it, though. If there are any chances that she'll still be alive, I can't just leave it to chance. I got to take any chance that I got, even if it means working with him."

"That means you're desperate. Desperate for your redemption. Your in a fantasy if something like this can ever happen!"

Hera slides his sword near the edge making a loud ringing sound causing everyone to cover their ears, but the Laughing Coffin members were prepared as they killed two more players. A third one was about to attack Yuuki but she recovers fast enough to parry the weapon and activates Horizontal Square and the four slices made the Laughing Coffin member fall to her knees.

Nexus switches to his Katana and activates Sanka and thrusts his Katana at Hera who activates Vorpal Strike in return where the two barely scraped each other and Nexus turned around first due to Sanka's animation and switched into a rapier for the extra boost in speed and dashed to Hera while activating Quadruple Pain and all four stabs hit his back as he fell to a knee and his health bar went to the yellow color.

Irritated, Hera stood up and activated Deadly Sins as Nexus was fully caught with a few dodges before retaliating with a switch to his Knife and activating Side Bite slicing a bit of Hera's face and he backflips away to avoid any damage.

"While I was with, Laughing Coffin looks like you got yourself a little girlfriend. Wonder what will happen if I kill her right in front of you. That'll show you how weak you really are."

Hera dashes to Yuuki as Nexus chases after him before being attacked by another Laughing Coffin Member and had to use his sword with a Nova Ascension, killing the person but he didn't care. All he cared about was that Yuuki was safe. She was distracted by another Laughing Coffin as she was about to be sliced by Hera.

"No! Yuuki!" Nexus calls out as he dashed towards the girl as she turns around and blocks the attack.

"What?" Hera is surprised as he struggles.

"Don't worry Nexus. I'm ok! Don't worry about me." Yuuki pushes Hera away and focuses on the other member.

"You bastard!" Nexus punches Hera towards the wall and dashes towards him. Anger filled him as he imagined Yuuki's health reaching zero and her dying. Then he started beating Hera as his health started slowly going down to red and a slight bit of health remained as Nexus gets ready to punch only to be held back by someone. He turned around to see Kirito holding his hand. He shakes his head no and then that was when he realized what he was doing. He lowers his hand as Hera falls to the floor.

"What are you doing? Finish it. Or are you too weak to finish me off? Same old, same old. Weak, bro. I'm not going to change no matter what. Your weak and I'm going to kill you. PoH is right. Killing is the only answer." Nexus looks at Hera.

"... I don't want power. If it means hurting those that I care for." Nexus picks up his weapon and it disappears into his inventory.

"Really? You would rather die than use the power? Power is what going to keep you safe. There will be a day where you'll be too weak to do anything. You are under Kayaba's thumb after all."

"I don't need my own power. I have people who I can trust and soon, we'll beat this game." Nexus turns away from Hera. "Even if I'm alone... Weakness has the power to awaken that which is dormant. Seeya Hera. Hope you think about what you've done."

The boy teleported to Black Gate Prison as Nexus looks at his hands. Then he looked at his old friend.

"Thanks. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't stopped me."

"That doesn't really matter at this point. What matters is that nothing bad happened and that all of Laughing Coffin have been arrested." Kirito says as he stretches while Asuna taps his shoulder.

"Actually, a few managed to slip away, including PoH. And even then, this is the most tragic battle in all of Aincrad. More people died here than any boss room alone." Asuna goes through the list of arrested people.

"Yeah. For now, rejoice for taking down most of Laughing Coffin and mourn for the dead. Let's go back."

Nexus walks back to Yuuki who was exhausted fighting the Laughing Coffin Members. "You alright? You kinda lost it earlier. I was scared that you were going to kill Shinzo."

"Yeah. I was just so afraid. I saw him aiming after you and I just lost it. It's like everything didn't matter as long as you were safe. You were alive." Nexus drops to his knees and looks up at Yuuki. 'Guess Hera was right. I was weak, but not anymore. If I'm going to be with you… I need to see you eye to eye. Honestly, this feels weird. It's already been more than half a year…'

Yuuki looks around and takes out a teleport crystal and hands it to Nexus before taking another one out.

"Hmm? What's this for? Where are we going?"

"Somewhere more appropriate for what's happening next. Just follow me. Teleport Lindarth!" Yuuki teleports away as Nexus is just left standing there.

"Uh. Should I just go? Will you guys be ok with me just leaving?" Nexus asks.

"Of course. You know, I almost forgot until Yuuki asked me. We'll be heading out anyways." Ren said.

"You can thank Yuuki for this," Koharu added.

"For what? I feel like I'm being left out in the dark."

"Don't worry. You'll see soon enough. Just wait a couple of minutes, then you can teleport." Asuna says.

"Just call it a surprise."

Kirito, Asuna, Ren, and Koharu teleported to the same floor that Yuuki went to as Nexus just stands there for a few moments and notices a sword stuck into the ground. He picks it up and its added into his inventory. It was a red sword with a black handle with a silver guard. It had words on the blade which made Nexus knew whose sword it belonged to. Even still, he puts it on his back and raises the crystal.

"Reaper huh? Teleport Lindarth!"

With that, Nexus teleported away to Floor 48: Lindarth. Home to Lisbeth's blacksmithing shop and has a tropical feel to it. Nexus walks around looking for Yuuki and the others for a while until he sees Yuuki sitting alone near the cliff. He dashes to his girlfriend as she is sitting on a picnic blanket and picnic basket.

"What's this?" Nexus asks as he reached the cliff.

Yuuki stands up with a smile. "Happy Birthday Nexus!"

Nexus was well in awe. Ever since SAO started, Nexus has always avoided his birthday while still focusing on the days for Hera and Nirvana's as well as Silica when she joined the group. However, never once did he ever celebrated his birthday.

"How did you know? I never told anyone in the game." Nexus asks in awe.

"Oh, I uh. I asked Kirito a couple of weeks ago. My cooking skill isn't as great as you're the cook so I asked Asuna if she could make us our lunch. Also, Koharu and Ren said that this place was somewhere special."

"This is where? Oh, my. Huh? A message?" Nexus sits down next to Yuuki as she sets up plates. "Heathcliff?" Nexus reads the message and sighs before opening his inventory. Inside it was an item that had multiple question marks as he presses it and a black box appears in front of him. He opens it and examines the contents before immediately closing it.

"Is something wrong, Nexus? What's in the box?" Yuuki asks with an interested look.

"Yuuki? Is that you?"

"What do you mean? Of course, it's me. I'm standing right in front of you." Yuuki had a confused look as Nexus shakes his head.

"Let me rephrase that. Konno Yuuki, is that you?" Yuuki's eyes opened wide as she heard the name. "It is you. Oh my god."

"Goro. I-" Before Yuuki can say anything, Nexus hugs her.

"It's good to see you again. I was so afraid. It was like everyone was going to leave me. I don't what I was going to do." Nexus eyes teared up.

"I'm not leaving anytime soon. Don't worry, Goro. Nothing bad is going to happen." Yuuki comforts Nexus as he cries. "You must've been through so much."

Flashback

The year of SAO's release

Iwahashi Goro packs his stuff as he looks at his friend, Kirigaya Suguha who was the same age as he is. Suguha was a couple of months older than Goro and also Kirito's younger sister or cousin to Goro's surprise. The Kirigaya house was always quiet and Goro and Kazuto were just talking for a while.

"Here, Goro. You said that you wanted it for a while now. Happy Birthday." Kazuto says as he hands Goro a present and opens it. It was a brand new gaming laptop that has been in stores for a while now.

"Dude. Thanks! This costs a fortune and a half. How'd you even get this?" Goro asks still examining it in awe.

"Let's say that this is both Sugu and my present. Don't expect anything else from us."

"I wouldn't after this thing. This is already too much."

"Well, I added in your games that you have those 2000 of hours on it. Thought you would like it." Kirito said.

"Holy cow! This is just too much dude." Goro's phone rings as he looks. "Aw crap. I gotta head to the hospital. This girl is just going crazy."

"Yuuki acting up about being bored again?" Goro nods. "You brought your laptop for her to play?"

Goro nods again as he looks at the laptop that Kazuto gave him. "Well I wasn't really planning on going there until later, but I can go. You ok with that?"

"Go have fun. It is your birthday after all. See you online later?"

"Definitely. Seeya!" Nexus packs the laptop that Kazuto gave him before leaving the room and then stopped midway. He looks through is backpack before taking out a piece of paper and opening Suguha's door and placing the paper on her desk. "You need to study more. That test was easy."

"I had kendo practice, Goro! You can't expect me to do everything well!"

"I balance my games and studying properly. Surely you can do the same. Anyway, see you next week."

"Bye Goro," Sugu grumbled as Goro went downstairs. "Wait! I got a ninety! You made it sound like I failed!"

"Trololololol!" Goro was already outside the house as he waved to Kazuto before dashing to the train station.

Goro lived near Yuuki's hospital and it was no surprise that his visits were easy. However, despite the distance, Goro tended to go to the middle school where Sugu attends, saying that the reviews were better while in all honesty, it was fun to troll the girl. She would often be gone for some kinda kendo tournaments and Goro would deliver notes and her assignments.

After a good hour in the train, Goro gets off the train and walks into Yokohama Hospital and grabs a visitor pass from the front desk.

"Hi, Nurse Imai. How are you doing today?"

"Good, Goro. Yuuki has been asking for you for an hour." She said as she showed Goro her phone which had a lot of messages coming from Yuuki.

"I know right?" Goro shows his phone which also had multiple messages. "I'm starting to think that giving her a phone last year was not a good idea."

"Well, the girl is just excited to see you. It is your birthday today. Hope you two have fun with your game."

"Thanks, Nurse Imai. It was nice to see you." Goro walks to the fourth floor of the hospital and sees Yuuki humming to a song in her bed. A pale young girl with hair that reached her shoulders. 'Yuuki is still trying to have long hair? Wonder how far she's going to go.'

Goro knocks on the window and walks in and sits next to the bed.

"Sorry that I'm late. It was kinda crowded at the train station."

"It's fine. Everyone else is having fun right now, so let's start up the game." Yuuki says as she was referring to their guild, the Sleeping Knights. Goro had always found it nerve-wracking that Yuuki was alone at the hospital ever since Aiko, Yuuki's sister, and their mom died. So, Goro decided to do some research and found a group of people who also had problems, medical assistance, and had to stay in hospitals. The group was fun and Yuuki was having fun with everyone on the MMO that Goro had introduced to the everyone. Occasionally, Goro would bring his old laptop and still play on it despite it being laggy.

"Here Yuuki. You can have my laptop. I've got a new one recently." Goro says as he plugs in the laptop and puts it on Yuuki's lap. "It's not too heavy, is it?"

Yuuki nods before smiling. "It's fine. I'm going to set it up and start playing."

"Alright, alright. You're way too hyper for this. The guys should already be on Discord so with a few clicks. Let's see how this laptop works."

And that was the whole day for Goro and Yuuki. The two would hang out, playing games that Goro would introduce just so she can have a bright smile on her face. They were childhood friends and if Yuuki wasn't sick, the amount of time they spend together would make people think that they were dating.

"Goro! Heal me!" Yuuki shouts as Goro stays focused on the game. With the swift stroke of the mouse and multiple key clicks, the whole team was healed, buffed, and the enemy had paralysis. "Wow. Fast as always. Ooh. A new sword! And its stats are amazing!" Goro! Check it out! Check it out!"

"You don't need to shout. HOLY COW that's awesome!" Goro comments loudly.

"Is something wrong?" Si-eun asked through Discord as Yuuki sends a photo of the sword and its stats.

"Wow, Goro wasn't kidding! That's awesome!" Jun commented through the discord voice chat as Goro sighs and logs out of the game.

"Yeah, that was fun. Say I gotta go. Busy busy." Goro says.

"Aw C'mon! One more!" Nori asks with a pleading voice.

"Sorry, I can't. Have fun though!" Goro turns off the computer and puts it away in his bag. "Hey, Yuuki. Want to go somewhere real quick?"

"Where to?"

"Nowhere special. C'mon. It'll be awesome."

"Alright." Goro walks to the corner where Yuuki's wheelchair sits as he brings it to the bed and carries Yuuki and sits her up on the chair. Then he gets behind the wheelchair and starts rolling it through the hospital.

"Goro? Where are we going?" Yuuki asks with a hint of excitement.

"You'll see. There's no need to rush. Sometimes, the journey is as good as the destination."

"You're not exactly the one I would call wise."

"... Hush. Now no peeking."

Goro reached the elevator and pressed the roof button as the two waited until the elevator reached the top and pushes Yuuki to the edge.

"Alright. You can look now." Yuuki opens her eyes to see a beautiful sunset. Her eyes were in awe as it shined in front of her.

"It's so beautiful. You can see the whole town from here." The hospital was quite big and in the middle of the city so the view just made it even better. "Goro! This is amazing."

"I know. I would come up here during your occasional checkups. It's just so relaxing."

"Oh, Goro… Why is it that you always have gifts for other people, even though its YOUR birthday?" Yuuki asks as Goro sits near the railing.

"I guess its just how I am." Goro words echoed in Yuuki's ears as she blushed.

"Yeah, you are."

Flashback ends

"How did you even get into the game? I'm pretty sure that you didn't have SAO or a NerveGear." Nexus asks finally after wiping his face.

"Well. Akane is alive still in the real world. For some reason, the NerveGear won't fry her brain. We hope that it stays this way until SAO's completion. The game inside the NerveGear popped out though and I wanted to see you with using the NerveGear. However, the guild has been given us the Medicubold which allowed me to Full Dive into the game. After a while, I was in Aincrad where I can't die in this game." Yuuki explains.

"Wow. So the reason that you've been hanging around me in the beginning…"

"It was because I was worried about you. You were in this game with all your might just to live. And what happened to Akane… That was the last straw." The two looked at the sun which was setting. "I picked this spot, just because of that one memory."

"When I took you to the rooftop during my birthday before SAO. I remembered it like it was just yesterday."

"I don't know how I feel today. It's been a massive train wreck. But there are some good things that came out of today." Nexus says as he looks at the box and opens it. Yuuki catches what's inside. "Yuuki. I fell in love with you. Knowing the real you just makes me feel better. I just want to be with you forever. You ok with that?"

Yuuki eyes were as big as plates when she saw the ring. She even started to tear up before wiping her face and smiled. That smile, it made Nexus feel calm, happy. "Yes! I wouldn't have it any other way!"

That day became the harshest day that Nexus has ever faced in his life. To have to fight his younger brother, to almost losing Yuuki, to him finding out about his secret, and that planning for the wedding. It was perhaps the biggest organized event ever in SAO. Nexus was a known celebrity due to the 40th to 50th floors and everyone also knew Yuuki, the only one that has beaten Nexus in a duel. It was like two famous movie stars getting together, course everyone is going to talk about it. Even Heathcliff realized how big the event was and kept it at a secure location while still making it enjoyable to the two.

Everyone that Nexus met up to this point was there, Ren and Koharu who were the Best Man and Maid of Honor at the event, Asuna and Kirito who were found secretly slow dancing as Nexus and Koharu took notes, Agil who organized catering and security, Klein who was a standup comedian and did pretty amazing job at it, Argo who told embarrassing stories about Nexus and Yuuki, who Nexus was not surprised that Argo knew, Silica and Lisbeth who became good friends as they were sat next to each other, Pina… well, Pina was just being Pina, Heathcliff who Nexus was not too happy about, and many others.

Much time has passed since then and it was now November 7th of the same year. The boss on Floor 75 had been defeated with fourteen casualties in the Assault Team. Yuuki and Nexus were catching their breath as the boss had been just killed with the other members of the Assault Team. Kirito who was now carrying two swords sat behind his wife Asuna as he looked through the list.

"Fourteen died," Kirito states as everyone looks at him.

"We still have 25 floors to go," Klein says in despair.

"Will we really be able to reach the top?" Agil added as he laid on the floor exhausted.

The mood in the room grew more depressing as everyone pondered about the rest of SAO.

"Hey come on!" Yuuki yells as everyone looks at her. "We just beat Floor 75, right? That means that we're 3/4 of the way there. If we give up after being so close, then what's the point?"

"Yuuki's right. If we're going to be all depressed over something like this, then we may as well give up!" Koharu said.

Yuuki and Koharu's words surely changed the attitudes out of everyone's mood, but Kirito and Nexus stayed the same. One was focusing on Heathcliff whose health was still in the green while the other was thinking about his promise. Kirito grabs his black longsword, Elucidator and stands up. He dashes towards Heathcliff and activates Rage Spike aiming for Heathcliff's head which is blocked by an item that made everyone freeze and Nexus stands up. The Immortal Object logo that was shining right in front of Heathcliff.

"Kirito, what are you?" Ren calls out as he sees the Immortal Object sign. There were murmurs in the crowd as everyone looked at the commander.

Nexus hesitating looks at the scene before he kisses Yuuki in the lips before shivering and walks to the two. "Nexus!? Where are you going?"

Yuuki called out as Nexus ignores her. Kirito was going to get himself killed.

"This man is protected by the system so his HP, will never fall into the yellow zone." This gets a reaction out of everyone. "Something has always bothered me, ever since I arrived here. Where is he observing us and controlling the world from? But I'd overlooked something obvious. It's something that even a child would know. There's nothing more boring than watching others play an RPG from the sidelines. Don't you agree, Kayaba Akihiko?"

Everyone gets a shocked expression as Nexus is unfazed and keeps moving forward.

"For future reference, mind sharing how you figured it out? Was it Nexus?" Heathcliff or Kayaba looks at Nexus who continues to walk forward as everyone even Kirito was shocked. "Thought I told you not to breathe this to anyone except your brother. You remember the consequence, right?"

"I've said nothing Kayaba. I didn't break our deal. Kirito shouldn't have any idea about this at all." Nexus says as he walks forward. He could already tell from the looks of other people. They were shocked, upset, and confused.

"I don't know any deal, but the first time I suspected something was during our duel. In that last split second, you moved far too quickly." Kirito said going back to the duel on October 19th.

"I guess as much. That was a mistake on my part. Overwhelmed by your attacks, I carelessly activated the system's over-assist mode." Kayaba words make the others even more terrified and confused. "Yes, I am Kayaba Akihiko. And if I may add, I'm also the final boss who was supposed to await you all on the top floor."

"What a twisted scenario. Turning the strongest player into the ultimate boss..."

"Not a bad twist, don't you think? Nexus was supposed to be a good mid-boss." Kayaba adds.

"Nexus! What's going on!? You knew he was Kayaba? For how long?" Ren yelled at his friend.

"Around a year." Everyone was not happy about that part when Nexus answered. Yuuki was also confused. "Wish I could tell you or done something."

"I expected that the one who'd be standing before me at the end would be you, Kirito." Kayaba continues. "After defeating your rival you should have made your way to me. The Dual-Wielding skill is granted to the player with the fastest reflexes, Yuuki is an exception. She was a late bloomer. You who would then become the hero that confronts the demon king. However, your strength has exceeded my expectations. Well, I suppose such unexpected events are what make MMORPGs so enjoyable."

"So Nexus was doomed to die anyway? He had no say in this!" Klein yelled as Nexus continues slowly walking, avoiding all the stares that he was receiving. "Then why would he try? If he knew he was going to die, then why would he ever do something like that!?"

"You had our loyalty… our hopes… How dare you!... How dare you!" A KoB member jumps into the air as Nexus jumps into the air.

"I'm sorry," Nexus says as he kicks the person down and Kayaba paralysis him.

"Paralysis?"

Kayaba began a wide-spread paralysis spree paralyzing almost every player in the room except Kirito, Nexus, and himself.

"What are you planning? Are you going to kill us all to conceal the truth?" Kirito asks holding Asuna.

"God no. I wouldn't do something so unreasonable. It seems I have no choice. The scenario has now become of that of Ruby Palace. My HP has a special thing to it. If Nexus's HP reaches zero, my immortal status would be gone. Kirito, the chance to fight me one-on-one, right here, right now. You and Nexus both want to leave this game and I'll add something. You two will duel, whoever wins gets to fight me. Is that reasonable? Defeat me and the game will be cleared, allowing all players to log out."

"That means. I have to kill Kirito/Nexus." The two said at the same time.

"That was not what you said. I won't kill Kirito." Nexus says as he looks at Kayaba.

"Does it matter? How long as you get what you want?"

"Bastard…" Nexus looks around as he looks at everyone.

"Don't do it!" Yuuki yells. "You don't have to do this! You don't have to kill or have to give up your life!"

"Yuuki. I'm sorry." Nexus says as he looks at Kirito.

"Fine by me. Let's settle this."

"Kirito!" Asuna says.

"I'm sorry, but I can't back down now." Kirito lays Asuna down on the ground. He calls out to Agil, Klein, Ren, Koharu, and Yuuki. Telling them goodbye. Nexus did the same.

"Kirito," Nexus says as Kirito looks at him. "Don't be afraid to dirty your hands. And don't forget. You have to face Kayaba afterward. Fight to protect what you want."

"... Kayaba. If you don't mind, I have a request." Kirito calls to Heathcliff.

"What is it?"

"I don't plan to go down easily, but if I die, I want you to ensure that Asuna and Yuuki cannot commit suicide, at least for a while."

"Very well."

"Don't you dare say that!" Yuuki calls out.

"You can't… You can't do that to us!"

Nexus and Kirito take out their swords as Nexus looks up. He has a look on his face and Kirito instantly knew.

'This isn't a duel… It's simply a fight to the death. That's right. I'm going to… kill this man!'

Yuuki and Asuna reach struggle to reach out.

 **Play Yakuza Kiwami - For Who's Sake**

Nexus and Kirito each charge a skill as they both charge a skill. Nexus activating Slant to counter Kirito's Double Circular. He's seen Kirito's sword skills many times now and switches to a knife where he thrusts in the middle where Kirito dodges sideways, before jumping from a kick to having to get punched in the shoulder. Nexus tosses the knife up and continues his blows as he dodges Kirito's retaliating strikes while punching in the middle before grabbing the knife behind his back and activating Side Bite which made a cut on Kirito's arm.

Nexus switches to his broadsword and he gets into a fighting stance. Kirito recovers from the attack and his swords turn blue which meant that Kirito wasn't holding anything back and unleashed Starburst Stream. Quite the aggressive person in combat. Nexus swings his sword and it glows white as he activates Calamity. The strongest sword skill for the two-handed sword. Both people were stuck in their attack motions as Kirito was way faster in his attacks cutting through Nexus easily who retaliated with strong blows back. Midway into Starburst Stream, Nexus calls his Katana and activates Tsujikaze which blocks half of Starburst Stream's attacks and landed a small hit on Kirito before moving back.

No joke, Starburst Stream deals a lot of damage to an opponent and attacks at high speeds so of course, Nexus wasn't doing so hot. Nexus switches his weapon to Nirvana's spear which made Klein flashback to when he had to tell the news about Nirvana's death.

The two are on equal footing in terms of health and Nexus constantly switches weapons depending on the situation and soon the twos health reaches the beginning of the red. Nexus summons his one-handed sword as he holds it out front. One more attack and Nexus was done for and the same was for Kirito who hands were shaking. The next few moments could decide everything and the choice will change his life.

"Can I tell you something, Kirito?" Nexus calls out. "My deal to Kayaba was to clear this game as fast as I can. I was also told not to tell his secret, otherwise, two things would happen. Akane would be killed and he would force me to kill every single person that I cared for. She's in a coma right now. She won't wake up until this game is cleared."

Everyone stared in disbelief. Everyone was secretly rooting for Kirito to win besides those closest to the two who couldn't bear to watch two people that they cared for fighting each other to the death.

"What does that mean?" Kirito asks.

"End it." Those words echoed into Kirito's head as he looked before putting his swords together in an x form. That was the pre-motion to his strongest skill, The Eclipse. The skill activates as Kirito dashes towards Nexus who jumps back dodging attacks as Nexus raises Hera's blade over his shoulders. Nova Ascension, Nexus's last stand as his 10-hit combo tries to counter the 27-hit combo. Nexus knew that he stood no chance against that skill but he could at least made it easier to move and constantly moved back until...

A stab. Towards the chest which makes Nexus's health reach to zero, but then Kirito noticed that the blade went deeper after seeing that Nexus's health reached zero. He looked up to see that the sword has also stabbed Kayaba but didn't reach in due to the system. That was Kirito's golden moment to attack. Kayaba's health was going down as he tries to slice Kirito before being blocked by Nexus and his sword.

"You're not going to take his life damn it!" Nexus looks towards Yuuki and the others. "Have fun. Face the future with a smile. That was our promise."

Nexus explodes into pixels as Kirito finishes the Sword Skill which causes Heathcliff's health to reach zero.

"Iwahashi Goro. He's clever, I'll tell you that." Heathcliff explodes into pixels as the paralysis is washed off everyone.

"Is it… over?"

 **End of Song**

*Flashback

 **Play Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix: Roxas's Theme**

"You know. Can I ask you a question, Goro?" Yuuki asks in bed while Goro cuts a cake and passing in front of her.

"Sure. You can ask me anything that you want. Is something the matter?"

"If I were to die, because of AIDS. How would you react? Would you be sad? Would you be angry?" Goro freezes as he wasn't expecting something this serious.

"I…, Of course, I would be sad. But I wouldn't be angry. Sure it's unfair that you would die for something that you couldn't control. Anyone would be pissed, but that means that God wants you for something else. Perhaps for a bigger mission. What about you, Yuuki? If I were to die, whether it'd be by murder or an accident. Can you promise not to be angry? Promise me that you will still force a smile."

"I...I will."

*Flashback end

 **Play Sword Art Online: A Tender Feeling**

Iwahashi Goro wakes up with a bright light. He was near the edge of an invisible platform as he sees Aincrad flying around in all of its might.

"Oh goodie. I'm dead and now in heaven. Now I can see my friends in Aincrad." Goro says with a smile as he hears footsteps behind him. It was the man he didn't want to see. Akihiko Kayaba. "Not expecting to see you here. That means that Kirito won?"

"Yeah. He did. Though there is a slight problem." Kayaba states as he opens his menu and shows the logout button. "You're not dead. Not yet. You still have a job to do."

"Oh come on! Can something actually good happen to me?"

"Yeah. You're staying alive. When I died, the Cardinal System was supposed to shut down and let all players exit that game, but to no avail. This system error is because of one thing. That being that the 100th floor has yet been cleared."

"What? You've decided the system! Aren't you going to keep the end of your promise!?"

"I wish I could. However, I have no power over that. What I could do is very minimal at best. Most of my admin priveledges have been after the announcement that I made two years ago."

"What are you talking about?" Goro asks standing up. "You're not making any sense. Are you saying that there is someone with a higher power than you?"

Kayaba nods in disbelief. "Sword Art Online was never meant to be a death game. A game that was real, but death made it too real. During productions, we were running behind and I passed out from exhaustion for two weeks. During those two weeks, another took over in my place, Nobuyuki Sugou. He wanted power and influence so he inputted the death mechanic into SAO. He has also made a higher admin account with more privileges than what I have. Once I figured out that SAO had turned into this, I made the announcement and Sugou had forcibly trapped me in this game."

"So you're saying that it wasn't your fault? Why should I believe you? What about the threat and my sister?" Kayaba shows a screen of Iwahashi Akane waking up to the loving arms of his parents as Goro has a tear in his eyes. "I keep my promises. And even if I wanted to, I couldn't do that thing to you. You don't have to believe me, but I need you Goro. You have to save everyone in Aincrad. And one more…"

"What do you mean?"

"There is a place that appeared during the glitched time period. A girl is trapped there with that of members from Black Steeple Prison. Which means that girl is stuck at that place with members from Laughing Coffin. Your brother is one of them. I looked at his psyche. It was not good. He'll never be the same."

"Shinzo…" Goro looks at Aincrad. "Where's the proof that a girl is even in there? For all I know, it could be more lies."

Kayaba shows a picture of a map and a brown haired girl in a blue outfit as she is being chased by members of Laughing Coffin.

"You really are telling the truth." Goro thinks about it for a small while. "I'll do it. I'm going to do everything in my power to save everyone."

"I trust in your power. Goro. I'll give you limited admin privileges for if something that goes wrong like coding or that. You'll be in the Hollow Area where you can't go back to Aincrad for some time. And an error doesn't allow people in Floor 76 to go to the lower floors. So for now, people are stuck in Arc Sophia."

"I understand. Send me in." Goro leaps off the invisible ledge. "This is my redemption! Link Start!"

(Omake)

"I can never see myself as the type of person to have kids," Yuuki says as she was taking care of Yui, Kirito, and Asuna's daughter, with Nexus while the two were out.

Turns out that Kirito and Asuna got married shortly after Kirito was revealed to have Duel Wielding abilities which just blew everyone's minds except Nexus. He even commented, "People can equip two swords or weapons but they're difficult to use and they don't have the Cardinal system to help."

"Well, I honestly don't know what to say about that, Yuuki. You're the more carefree one while I would probably be the househusband and stay at home with the kids while you go out and do your thing." Nexus says as he leaves the kitchen in Kirito and Asuna's new house on Floor 22. "I can do the cleaning, cooking, and child caretaking. I can do the three C's. Oh god."

Nexus sets a plate which has a chicken sandwich in front of Yui who happily takes. He passes one to Yuuki and places another plate in front of him. "Thank you for the food, Uncle Nexus!" Yui says before eating. Right, apparently, Nexus and Yuuki also became the Uncle/Aunt of this kid as they still have no idea where she came from.

"How is it Yui? Is Nexus's cooking good? Even the best?" Yuuki asks.

"It's good… But it doesn't beat Mommy's cooking." Yui says as Nexus sighs.

"Asuna is really good with cooking. Some people will prefer her food over mine and vice versa. Plus Yui is her kid."

"I feel like you, Asuna, and Koharu would make good housewife material. I can see it now that you three would be going to Saturday Brunch and talking about all the latest gossip over special omelets."

"Heh. Well, that sounds nice and all, I think I'm fine with just being an Uncle for now. Taking care of Yui is good experience and all." Yui and the others finished as Nexus puts the plates away. "Yui. Do you want to play a game until Kirito and Asuna are back?"

"Yeah. But what can we play?" Yui asks as the three wondered.

"How about Hide and Seek? Asuna's house is big enough where we can hide." Yuuki says as the others had no problem with that.

"Sure. Yui, Auntie Yuuki and I will hide so how about you look for us."

"Alright Uncle Nexus. I'll count to twenty!" Yui goes to a wall and starts counting. Immediately Nexus and Yuuki dashed away.

Yuuki was the first one to be caught as she hid behind the couch so it wasn't that hard, and finding Nexus was a hard as he had raised his stealth skill to the max and it took twenty minutes to find him as he was simply hiding behind a door. Nexus was next as he was amazing at finding Yuuki. She was never that good of a hider, to begin with and Yui was found shortly after. Yuuki was last at being 'it' and she was better at finding people then at hiding and found everyone just in time before Asuna and Kirito came back.

"We're back!" Asuna calls out as Yui dashes to her and Kirito. Nexus and Yuuki were right behind of her. "Yui! How are you?"

"Mommy! Daddy! It was fun. We had lunch and then I played hide and seek with Uncle Nexus and Aunt Yuuki."

"Really? Was it a lot of fun?" Kirito asks.

"Yeah. Uncle Nexus is good at hiding. It took a long time."

"Probably because I maxed out my stealth skill." Kirito gave him a deadpanned look. "I've been given a lot of free time."

"Yeah. Luckily I found you at the last time. Otherwise, it would have taken forever for us to find you."

"Heh. Yui didn't give you two a hard time?" Asuna asks as Nexus and Yuuki shakes their heads.

"No. Yui was a little angel. We didn't have any problem with her." Nexus looks at the menu.

"That's good. Oh, my look at the time. Would you guys like to stay for dinner? Kirito was able to find an A-class ingredient while we were out."

"Sure. You housewives can have fun together!" Kirito and Asuna look at each other.

"Oh, we were talking about the future. Like I would be one of those housewives because I can cook, clean, and other stuff."

"No. No. You guys are the guests. I'll cook dinner so you guys can just relax with Kirito and Yui." Asuna enters the kitchen to prepare cooking as Nexus went to the living with Kirito and Yui as they sat beside the fire. Yuuki wanted to help out against Asuna wishes but she eventually caved in.

"You know Kirito. I never really thought about children until I became an uncle." Nexus says as Yui falls asleep on Kirito's shoulder/

"Oh really. What have you thought?"

"When we get out, I want to go to college, marry Yuuki, and maybe have children. It just seems like a great pleasure in this life. Taking care of Yui is honestly really fun. Thanks for letting me have this experience."

"It's no problem. Your welcome to do this anytime."

But there was never another time. Kirito and Asuna went down to Floor 1 where an incident happened and Yui turned out to be an A.I. created by Akihiko Kayaba as a mental health program but was sealed off at SAO's release. Not all the details were given as Asuna and Kirito were truly sad that Yui was gone and Nexus and Yuuki didn't want to put pressure on the wounds.

It showed Yuuki something at that time. Whether it is a person that you've known for a couple hours to someone that's been with you your whole life, it'll always hurt. Someway or another. And Yuuki greatly felt that pain when she saw Nexus die.

"Kirito!" Asuna calls out with tears in her eyes.

"Asuna," Kirito says silently.

"Gah! You idiot! You complete and total idiot! Thank goodness you're… Kirito… Kirito…"

Kirito looks down as he was having a hard time breathing. "I'm sorry, Asuna… But I am… alive… Nexus… Goro!"

"Yuuki…" Asuna and Kirito look at Yuuki who was crying her eyes out with Ren and Koharu comforting her. "The poor girl. She must really be heartbroken."

Over her tears, many others were celebrating at the moment of the Kayaba's death. Their moods weren't at all affected by Nexus's sacrifice. Klein and Agil went to Kirito as they went to Yuuki.

"Yuuki. There there. Nexus is watching from heaven." Koharu says doing her best to comfort the poor girl.

"Hey bro. I think you should avoid Yuuki for a while." Klein whispers as Kirito couldn't help but agree as Yuuki stands up and walks to Kirito.

"Wait Yuuki! What are you going to do?" Ren asks as Yuuki looks down with tears constantly flowing out of her face.

"Y-You were his best friend, right?" Yuuki asks.

"Huh?"

"You were Goro's best friend, right?"

"Yeah, I was. It was the hardest thing I could ever have done in my life was to fight him. And I know that you can never forgive me for this, but I'm sorry." Kirito bows down.

"Kirito. I made a promise once." Kirito looks up. "If he were to die, from murder or accident. I promised that I'll never be mad. It wasn't your fault. You were bound to fight him later. It's Kayaba's fault. It's his fault for all of this. And you killed him. I should be thanking you for putting Nexus out of his misery. I just want to go to the real world. This place has been too painful for anyone of us."

"When are we going back? To the real world, I mean. Kirito. You beat Heathcliff, didn't you? That's game over, isn't it?" Klein asks.

"Akihiko Kayaba definitely said that if anyone beat him, the game would be cleared and everyone would be released." Kirito states.

"Yeah… He did say that too… As well as everything else." Ren adds as he stands up. "Him having Nexus under his thumb. He's despicable."

"Nothing's happening. We're all stuck in SAO. The logout button is still not here. I've got a bad feeling about this…" Koharu adds.

"Why isn't this over? If there no way of, you know, hurrying things along?" Klein asks.

"If I know Kayaba… He would never lie to us."

The group pondered about this as Yuuki gets a message and gasps as everyone looks at her.

"Yuuki… Is something the matter?" Koharu asks as Yuuki nods.

"It's him. He just sent me a message." This definitely attracts everyone.

"Nexus said something? What does it say?" Kirito asks as Yuuki opens her menu.

 **Cardinal glitch and Kayaba doesn't have admin powers. Apparently, someone compromised him, he ain't the true mastermind. As for me. I have some stuff to do. But this is my message to you guys. Reach the Ruby Palace and face the last boss. That is the only way you guys can be free. I'm alive, but I'm helping someone in need. Don't worry. I'll be with you guys at Arc Sophia.**

 **-Nexus the Multiwielder**

 **SOOOO... I'm not making Kayaba the bad guy of the Sword Art Online incident. Sure he'll be known as the asshole and the mastermind in public, but in general. The people that do matter know the truth about the incident. That and I really hate that Sugou guy. He could burn in hell for all I care. The omake I felt like it really brought the character out of Nexus and Yuuki's relationship as they really strive to get out of this game and into the real world, but they couldn't because Nexus was dead and Yuuki has AIDS. It just feels like it's real life where anywhere you go... No matter how hard you try. It'll never be enough. Life will try its best to screw you over at any possible time. I know how it feels. But you guys don't have to listen to my story. This is NexusMC signing off. Stay classy.**


	8. The Girl in the Hollow Forest

**Hey guys! NexusMC here and I was soooo hyped for today's Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer! It was short but Big Hero 6 was part of it and I called it! White Drive Forms, Final Form is a thing! But I digress. Not important into the series. We now reached Hollow Fragment and thus the introduction between of two characters that I personally like. You know who if you played the game. Hope you guys enjoy!**

The world was black for Goro as he had thought back to the times in SAO and before then. All of the new friends that he will never forget, but that's all changed. Now that Kayaba had been found out and that fateful battle against Kirito, no one could look at him the same. Kirito, Asuna, Ren, Koharu, Agil, Klein, Silica, Argo, Lisbeth… And Yuuki. Of all people, the person that Goro was closest with, he has straight up lied and betrayed their trust… Who can forgive him for something like that? But as Goro thought about before opening his eyes, to be revealed to be in some kind of temple… He would save this girl and still try. Try to make things right, going back to his friends. Nexus's first instinct once entering the "Hollow Area" was to check out his menu. He had sent a message to Yuuki about the situation but for some reason, it took a couple of days for him to get into the Hollow Area. The Cardinal System was buggy ever since that fateful day.

'So this is the Hollow Area? Not sure what to say about the place.' Nexus thinks to himself as he sees a monster spawn with him going behind a corner. Soon more monsters appear with their health and level appearing over their heads. Their levels above them say 119, or around that area. His level was 95 and thought that it was suicide to fight all of them at once by himself. If he was going to grind and save this girl, he was going to need some help from people on Aincrad.

Nexus sighs as he summons his Katana and tries to activate Sanka but the skill would not activate to his confusion. He does the pre-motion again but it still wouldn't work as he sighed and went through his menu to see that all of his stuff were messed up in terms of the data. Most of the skills that he had weren't there as he looked at the skill palette to see that it was almost refreshed completely, being 400 for each skill as he sighs.

"Guess I have to grind again? Great. What other wonders can bestow on me, today?" Nexus turns around to see a skeleton warrior staring at him with an evil eye. "Oh. You wouldn't happen to be an NPC that isn't out for my blood would you?" The skeleton swings his sword at Nexus who blocks it with his katana. "I'll take it as a no!"

The skeleton warrior tries to overpower, Nexus before the boy moves to blade up in a mini-parry and sliced the skeleton before switching to a broadsword. He spins around the undead warrior and slices vertically and then summoned his trusty one-handed sword. He dodges a couple of strikes before putting his sword behind his shoulder and activates slant as the sword skill slices the skeleton into two before it exploding into pixels.

'Not that much harder than the average enemy but still has a lot of health. Now let's put these admin powers to use.' Nexus thinks as he activates his menu and sees only two options. One was teleportation but it gave a distance which was not that much and an overall map where Kayaba had pinpointed where the girl was being held at. She was near a cliff that had a path to a separate island as but as he continued to look at the overall map, Nexus had to go through a forest to reach her and the map was a bit frizzy. The invincibility perk wasn't there as Nexus guessed that it would require someone to be the target which Nexus did not want to burden with.

'Something is off ever since I died. He did say a glitch but it's affecting the whole Cardinal System? Maybe that's why.' Nexus says as he teleports out of the temple and looks at the map before heading to the forest to save the supposed girl in trouble. But something gave him a feeling that he wasn't going to like what happens next.

Nexus the Multi-wielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 8: The Girl in the Hollow Forest

Nexus takes on a few blue wasps as he tries to gain levels and increase his skill palette, starting off with the knife as it was the fastest to level up, to Nexus's knowledge. After the last one explodes into pixels, Nexus takes a sigh of relief and drinks a potion that he had a very small inventory of. As he health rises back to green, he looks at the map again. Nexus was becoming more observant as he thinks about Laughing Coffin members. 'Why would they take a girl prisoner unless it had something to with herself? Maybe she did something that was against their wishes or she arrested some of them and their taking revenge? That theory is plausible but that would mean that they would torture her slowly… or turn her into one of them!'

Nexus rushes through the forest as he thinks about what happened to his little brother, the one person that he couldn't save in this mess. As he thought about what happened, he soon reached the bridge area hanging above a cliff to another island. A girl was currently tied up with a bundle of rope and two guards stood in the way. They were definitely Laughing Coffin as they had the hoods and the markings on their chests and backs. He watches closely for any more people as he picks up a pebble. He tosses it with his throwing skill which hits the bridge which made a little dent into it which catches the attention of the two guards.

"What was that?" One of them asked.

"Who knows? Probably just some monster roaming around the area. This Hollow Area is still new to us after all. We'll never know what to expect." The other said. "But just in case. Check it out. Make sure it isn't some person lurking in the shadows."

"Alright." One of the guards takes out a cleaver and the other watches which gives Nexus the perfect timing to slip by the guards and to the girl tied up by the rope. She has short, dandelion hair with a blue coat over a tube top that has several shades of blue, a silver arm-guard on her right arm, high-exposing black shorts, and thigh-high black socks. She was in a daze until Nexus came back as she grunted to escape as he signals to keep quiet. He takes out a knife and starts cutting the rope little by little.

"It was a rock. It made some kind of dent into the bridge." The guard said as he chuckled. But then he realized. "Wait a minute. Monsters in this area can't throw that hard to leave a dent… Which means."

The Laughing Coffin member turns to the girl and sees that Nexus had just finished cutting the rope.

"Hey!" The guard calls out as Nexus jumps before helping the girl up. He gets in his battle position. The girl opens her inventory and a knife appears near her wait on her backside as she takes it out. Nexus looks up to see an orange cursor above the girl.

'She's an orange player? That means that she has killed before? Why would Kayaba want me to save a girl like her? Can't focus on that right now. We have two guards to take care of.'

"What the hell do you think you were doing?"

"Obviously saving a girl. What does it look like?"

"Bastard." The first guy with a cleaver charges at Nexus as he swiftly rolls towards killer with a small mini slice to the leg before turning around and jumps within aerial spin slash thrusting his weight on the opponent to leave him on the ground before taking a crystal with the words Heathcliff on it.

'Must be the admin teleportation crystal. Let's see if it works.' Nexus raises the crystal over the Laughing Coffin member and activates it teleporting him as a notification popped up saying the location of where he teleported to. But the crystal was in his hand. Perhaps its infinitely usable? "Well, one down, one to go."

This time the other girl charges at the member who also had a knife as their blades clashed before the girl shifts the blade and giving the opening for kick towards the LC member. He grunts as he activates a sword skill which his movements were too quick for the girl to handle as she gets slashed pretty badly before being knocked back. Nexus helped her up.

"You alright?" The girl nods before the two get ready. "I'll counter you'll attack. We just need to immobilize him before I can send him to prison."

"Alright. That shouldn't be too hard to do." Nexus takes out his rapier and gets into a fighting position.

"... I'm surrounded. I better get the others." The Laughing Coffin member dashes away.

"Hey! Get back here!" The girl called out as Nexus grabs her arm stopping her. "What are you doing? He's going to get away."

"There's no point in trying. They're unable to do anything to the residents at Aincrad right now. If we go back to Aincrad right now, then we don't have to worry about them until the game's completion."

"We're not in Aincrad anymore? What are you talking about?"

"Before I explain, introductions are in order. I'm Nexus. Pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Philia. Thank you for saving me. So how are we going to get back to Aincrad?" Philia's question did perk Nexus as he gave it a thought. "Do you have any idea?"

"Honestly I do not know. But it looks like you've been here for a while. Perhaps you have seen anything suspicious. Something that might not work for you but might work for others?"

"Yeah. Perhaps. In front of the temple, there is a cliff where a stone that has a strange symbol on it. That should be a good place to start."

"Alright. You lead the way then."

Nexus and Philia stayed on high alert as the girl being here was interesting to him. She is here with people from prison is setting off some kind of flags for him. A little light questioning never hurt anybody.

"So Philia. How'd you come to this place? I had to be forcefully teleported in by an administration console." Nexus asked as Philia shakes her head.

"I don't know exactly. It's a daze right now and one moment I was in a cave to this place. My head's a bit foggy right now. It's been a whole month."

"A whole month you've been here? And the orange cursor? That's gotta mean something, right?"

"You're really going to ask something about that? You should know by now by what it means. I've killed someone…" Nexus figured as much but still. He couldn't shrug off the feeling that something was wrong.

"You don't really seem like someone that would attack and kill someone."

"..." Philia stayed quiet which meant that Nexus had touched a nerve.

"Sorry about that then. I'll stop talking then." Nexus says as he thought he heard the grass rustles. "Hold it."

"What is it? Did you hear something?"

"I did…"Nexus heard it again as he takes out his knife. Philia gets into her battle position as they both went back to back. As he heard a swoosh, he knew. "Roll away!"

Philia and Nexus roll away from each other as a Laughing Coffin member slams his mace in the area causing a small hole in the floor.

"Oh. If it ain't Nexus. Ain't that something. Hey guys, this is the guy that worked with Kayaba Akihiko."

"What?"

"How did you know? It wasn't that long since the information was released." Nexus said as two more members came right behind him.

"We have our sources. We have spies in KoB, how did you think we found out about the attack on our base?" The second one said.

"More of them? Philia run away! I'll take care of them. I'll meet you in front of the temple. Just go!"

"What did he just say?"

"Not the right time! Just get out of here! I'll take care of these guys."

"... Fine! But you better explain yourself." Philia dashes away as Nexus flips his knife in his hand.

"So. We have three goons here… OH! I can do the thing that I always wanted!" Nexus cheers as the three members of Laughing Coffin were confused.

"What's with this guy? Did some of Kayaba's insanity rub off on you?" The third one commented.

"No. I just realized that I can act out as one of the characters that I was named after. And my mom's maiden name just makes it even better." Nexus says as he chuckles. "Essence of the Mad Dog: Maul!"

Nexus dashes towards one of the Laughing Coffin members as he slashes them with such power that he was launched back before backflipping to a second member and does another slash. The last guard gets ready to be slashed as Nexus chuckles before tossing his knife backward before smiling and jumps up in the air and kicks the knife but it doesn't go that far as it just drops to the floor.

"Ah darn. That sucks. Oh well." Nexus says as he takes out his ax and slices the last person which launches him to where the others are. Then he takes the prison crystal out and walks to him. "You guys ready to repent for what you've done?"

"How hypocritical is that coming from you of all people. You think that saving this girl is going to redeem yourself for everything that you've done? You've worked with the person that got us stuck here. You have no right to judge us."

"I've never killed a person unlike you people in cold blood like you. All of my actions have been to save someone. "

"You came pretty close when it came to your little brother, huh. Showing no mercy to anyone, even your brother AH!"

Nexus slams his broadsword near the Laughing Coffin member. "Shut up. If it weren't for you people, he would've never been like that." Nexus activates the crystal sending the three back to prison as he sighs before looking at the forest. The temple wasn't that far but then he hard a giant thud as sees part of a huge monster. "The Skull Reaper? That's where Philia is at!"

Nexus dashes towards the scene as he picks up his knife at full speed. He passes through monsters and coming on the pathway to see two things wrong. The 75th-floor boss was indeed fighting Philia and another person. The second thing was,

"Kirito!?" Nexus calls out as the dual wielding swordsman looks around.

"Nexus?" Kirito calls out as he jumps away from the Skull Reaper's attack. "You're alive. Really alive!"

"You got that right! What the hell are you doing here?" Nexus says as he readies his broadsword and engages the boss in a fight.

"You two know each other?" Philia asks as she slices the boss while behind it.

"Yeah. Guess you could call it that. How about we fight before we talk?" Kirito says as Nexus and Philia nods.

The bosses health was already close to being defeated so the three were getting ready to finish it off. Nexus readies himself to be the aggro of the attacks as Kirito waits patiently for the Skull Reaper to be open for attacks and once Nexus parries off one of the Skull Reaper's claws, Philia and Kirito each activate a sword skill that makes the boss explode into pixels.

"Looks like we did it…" Kirito said a bit exhausted.

"That was a skull reaper? I've never seen a monster like that before…" Philia states as Nexus nods.

"And be glad that you didn't face it on Floor 75. That thing was as tough as nails." Nexus adds.

"But what's a Floor Boss doing here?"

"Good question… Still, this one was a lot weaker than the one down there. If this one had the same attributes, there's no way the three of us would have stood a chance against it." The mood got tense as Kirito looks at Philia and Nexus. "Now, I know we weren't seeing eye to eye, but I'd really prefer not to fight you if possible. Do you think we could avoid doing that…?"

'Hopefully. Philia shouldn't fight Kirito of all people.' Nexus thinks as he nudges Philia. "He isn't one of them. Don't worry, he's trustworthy."

"You're not one of them? Really?"

"One of them? Who are you talking about?"

"People that were keeping her captive. My mission from my message was that I needed to save her and bring her back to Aincrad."

"We're not in Aincrad?"

"Yeah. This is somewhere that's not in Aincrad but still a part of the Cardinal System. So guess you would call this, the place where the trash is supposed to be. We can't teleport back to Aincrad but this place isn't an anti-crystal zone."

"So how do we get back to Aincrad?" Philia asks as Nexus once again thinks about it.

"Kayaba had sent me in here for a reason, to get you out. Which means that he has put a way to get back into Aincrad. That being said, what's next?"

Suddenly a message, almost like an intercom.

"Hollow Area data access restrictions have been lifted."

"Wh-What was that just now?" Kirito asks as a flash of light blind Nexus and Philia for a moment as they looked at the black swordsman.

"Y-You're… th-that…" Philia exclaims as Nexus was confused.

"You know what that is?" Nexus asks as he looks at Kirito's hand. "What's that pattern supposed to be?"

"Huh? What the? When did this happen? Is this something to do with that announcement about access restrictions being lifted…?"

"Probably…"

"Just who are you, anyway?" Philia asks.

"What do you mean…?!"

"Listen, can I take a closer look at your hand…?"

"Huh? What are you going to-?"

"It's the same. Of course, it is…"

"The same?" Nexus asks.

"The thing that I told you about. The symbol matches it."

"The thing that seemed suspicious?"

"Yeah, this pattern. I've seen it before. In this place that we were going to before that happened."

"Well maybe if we go there, we can figure out what's going on. And it's not like we've got any other clues to go on. How about we head there right away? I mean… If it's all right with you, would you mind showing me where that place is?" Kirito asks.

"It's fine. We were going to that place anyway. You being with us the best thing at the moment."

"Right."

"Thanks. My name's Kirito. What's yours?"

"Philia."

"Nice to meet you, Philia…"

"Heh." Philia has a slight chuckle as Kirito and Nexus were confused. "I just can't work out if you're really friendly or really stupid…"

"I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character…"

"I suppose I should be flattered then."

"But in all honesty, Kirito is both of what you said."

"Hey!" Nexus and Philia chuckles as some of the tension were lifted.

"Now, let's get going. I'll lead the way…"

Philia leads the two down a hill as Nexus and Kirito talk a bit between themselves.

"So how long have you known, Philia?" Kirito asks as Nexus counts on his finger.

"One hour at most. I just came back not that long ago. What I wanna know is how's Yuuki holding up? She's not feeling bad about what happened to me, right? I've been worried sick about how she was holding up."

"Better now. She was utterly heartbroken but your message brought up her spirits a bit. Now she's just helping everybody as she waits for you. Everyone is just waiting for you to come back."

"I-I... It made me feel horrible. I had to lie to everyone and now I don't know if they'll forgive me for what I've done."

"You didn't do anything wrong though. You just did what you had to get make sure Akane was safe. They'll forgive you. And also, I'm sorry for what happened back on Floor 75."

"Back at that day. When we fought. Don't be. I made sure that you would win, so there would be an almost certainty that Kayaba was going to lose against the winner of our fight. Your my friend Kirito, got it?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"So you two know each other?" Philia asks as Nexus nods.

"Yeah. Kirito and I know each other in irl. Best friends if I may add."

"I see. That's why you were so certain. By the way, Kirito. Do you remember how you came here?"

"Let's see. I was exploring this dungeon, and noticed that I was being wrapped in this kind of light… Then all of a sudden, I found myself transported here." Kirito explains as he tries to remember. "It was kind of similar to using a corridor crystal, I guess…"

'Oh yeah… Corridor crystal. I totally remember what those are… what did they do again?' Nexus thought to himself. "But a sudden teleportation?"

"I see. That's pretty much the same thing that happened to me. There is one thing that's different, though… That symbol on your hand..."

"You don't have one?" Kirito asks.

"No. And I've never seen any other players with one either. Nexus included."

"Huh? There are other players here beside you two?"

"Yeah. The people that I had to save Philia from. Nasty buggers I gotta say."

"But there is something strange about them, though…"

"What do you mean, something strange?"

"It's hard to explain. It's probably better if you see for yourself."

"Question. Where are we going?" Nexus adds as Philia points to a giant frickin orb in the sky. "What the hell?"

"Oh, that sphere? Have you been inside?" Kirito asks as Philia shakes her head.

"No… I can't go inside. Maybe I could if you were with me, though… I mean, it's showing the same symbol that you've got on your hand…"

"You know. With all of the bullshit ex machinas that has happened with you, Kirito… I think that the skull reaper is what caused the symbol to appear in the first place."

"I haven't got one, though… Maybe it's got something to do with your skills?"

"I've never heard of a skill that would cause something like this to happen…" Kirito says.

"Unless you mean his unique skills like his dual wielding? If that were the case then how come I don't have one. This is just making me confused."

"I don't know. Maybe it has to do with Kirito himself." Philia thinks about it as they continued walking into the forest, trying not to aggro any of the enemies nearby.

"So Philia. What type of player are you?" Kirito asks.

"I'm a treasure hunter honestly. And I know that SAO has any jobs like that, but that's what I call myself. But you see, I don't care so much about fighting monsters or clearing quests… I'm more suited to finding treasures that have been hidden in various dungeons."

"Ooh. That sounds pretty cool. You can go off as Nathan Drake or Lara Croft. Man those games were amazing."

"You sound like those people that stay held up in your rooms and play games all day. But you look pretty healthy and young."

"I leave my room to take care of my younger siblings. I have some responsibilities. And if I'm not healthy, I'm not showing a proper example. And when we went into SAO, I had to do it again. Be the bigger person, be strong and set up an example in this death game."

"You were with your siblings in SAO? Where are they?"

"My younger sister died in game, but I made a deal with Kayaba and now she's alive and in the real world again. However my younger brother…" Nexus trailed off a bit as he walks a bit forward which made Philia confused.

"His brother was tortured until he eventually joined the murder guild, Laughing Coffin. And his brother almost killed his wife. But it hurts him that he couldn't help him no matter how much he tried."

"I see. It almost makes someone feel sympathy for him. He's tried so much, only to see everything in shambles. And in the end, he had to make a deal with the devil, to save someone."

"... Moving on! Philia. Any skills you're good in for being a treasure hunter? Combat is a must but lockpicking, trap removal, and all that jazz! That's gotta equate to something, right?" Nexus said trying to hide his agony.

"Oh yeah. The lockpicking skill is my particular specialty, though. I've never come across a treasure chest I couldn't open. No matter how powerful the monster guarding a chest is, I'm confident I can use my stealth skill to sneak past it and lockpick my way to the treasure." Philia statement made Nexus hyped.

"Oh yeah! I remembered when you picked your first lock. It was to get your journal back from me, right?"

"Yeah. My history with lockpicking and playing treasure hunting games makes me so hyped. We gotta go on a treasure hunt one of these days. After we get out of SAO and such."

"Sure…"

"Sounds like you two are going to be friends."

:But for how long? We might separate after this."

"Can't. My job is to save you from this place. So for all we might know, we'll be stuck the three like this for a while."

"Let's see about that. There's the device I was talking about. Let's check it out." Philia said as she points to it.

"Sure." Nexus replies as they walk up to it.

"Well, here it is…"

"You were right. It's the exact same symbol." Kirito says as he shows his hand again.

"Yeah. It is. Do you think this might be a way to the symbol? The thing looks like the same thing it's made of." Nexus inspects it.

"Are you going to give it a try?"

"Okay… But how?"

"Maybe extend your hand to it. Maybe it'll react to the symbol." Philia says as Kirito does it and a flash appears. "Yeah. Your symbol… It's glowing."

"Looks like your theory was right, Philia. Nice work, Ms. Croft." Nexus comments as Kirito taps the rock and his finger push through a small part of it. "What does that thing do?"

"Wait!"

Before Philia continues, the three are surrounded in a blue light as they are teleported to a platform with an admin console in it and the place was surrounded by a huge ocean of code.

"Well, it worked. Looks like we're in!" Nexus said with a smile as Philia takes a deep breath.

"Jeez. You should be more careful about these things. It could've been a trap for all we knew."

"But it wasn't. Now let's check out the admin console." Nexus says as he walks to the console and taps a few things on it. He inputs a code that Heathcliff gave to him and the console fully turns on.

"So this is what's inside the sphere," Kirito says as he looks around.

"It seems that way… Hey. This place is classified as a safe zone." Philia says.

"Wow, you're right… But if that's the case, then what about the guardian?"

"Looks like it isn't coming."

"I don't know. Kayaba says that this place was going to be tricky. I'm trying to see if there's anything on this console that can return us to Aincrad." Nexus types in a few things into the code. "So glad that I took code classes all those years for robotics and game design. And boop."

"Permission to access confirmed. A teleportation object leading to the Administration Area will be unlocked. A teleportation object has appeared in the Hollow Area."

"Hey, Nexus. Come here for a second." Kirito calls as Nexus dashes to him and Philia.

"What's up?"

"This thing… I think it's a teleport gate, but it looks kind of different…" Philia says.

"Really? Then that means that we can finally get out of here."

"Getting out of here… That sounds nice, I guess…"

"You guess? What's wrong? You don't look very excited about the idea…" Nexus asks.

"Don't I?"

"You're not coming with us?" Kirito asks as Philia nods.

"That's right. I'm not coming with you. You go ahead."

"Why?" Nexus questions.

"I want to examine this place for a bit. But I guess this is goodbye. I'm glad we met. It's been fun."

"Well alright. We'll be going back then." Kirito says as he turns around to the teleport gate before turning back to Philia. "I can come here again any time I want, though. As long as the teleport gate's active. This Hollow Area interests me, you see. For example, isn't it weird that there are boss class monsters wandering around in the field? The other monsters we came across were pretty unusual, too. And I find it really odd that we can't see the labyrinth tower. I thought that was visible from anywhere in SAO."

'This place is really sparking the gamer in Kirito that's for sure. I feel like I'm going to have to keep a watch on this guy.' Nexus thought.

"You're right, Kirito. It is strange."

"Also, don't you think there's a good chance we can find new weapons and powerful skills in a place like this?"

"I mean yeah."

Philia chuckles a bit. "I do think so. And I know exactly how you feel. Well, listen… If you two do ever decide to come back, send me a message. I'll come and meet you here."

"Sounds like fun, but how will you get into this place without the symbol on Kirito's fingers?"

"I've tested it out and it seems that since I've been here once, I can come back whenever I like."

"Great. We'll get in touch the next time I'm or Nexus is here."

"I'll be waiting. Not that I'm getting my hopes up…" Philia says as Nexus frowns.

"Trust me when we say this, but we're men of our words. If this guy is interested he's coming. He's a little too honest for his own good."

"Oi!"

"Whatever. See you Philia!" Nexus presses a button on his menu and he waves bye before a flash of light surrounds him and Kirito.

Akane slowly wakes up with a groggy feeling. Like she was motionless for who knows how long. Her eyes slowly open up one by one as all she could see was a white ceiling. She tried to touch her head but the Nervegear above her head was there as she took it off before placing it next to her body. She sits up very weakly as she looks to her left to see Goro and Shinzo but still unconscious in their Nervegear. That's when the door opened to see a nurse coming in and sees Akane. Immediately afterward the nurse went out calling for the doctor to come as soon as doctors and nurses came into the room, examining her and comforting the girl until her parents arrived. They were overjoyed to see what happened, that Akane was safe and sound. Soon family members and friends like Kirigaya Suguha was there to be there for Akane's waking but the question came up about the other SAO players. Why weren't they awake? Were they going to awake again? Suguha thought about this before seeing that the copy of SAO was sitting next to Akane's bed and too many people were there busy with Akane being away so nobody would notice it being taken away.

When Suguha came home that day, she thought about seeing her brother again. That question popped up multiple times as she looked at her Fulldive technology, the Amusphere. It was a new machine that unlike the NerveGear, wouldn't kill you if you died in the game. After an hour of mental debate, Suguha came to the conclusion. She popped out Alfehim Online and inserts Sword Art Online, puts on comfortable clothes, and puts on the Amusphere.

"I'm coming for you, Kazuto. Link Start!" And like that, particles flashed through her eyes.

Nexus and Kirito teleport into a teleportation gate surrounded by a small pond in a town with red rooftops.

"Looks like we're in Arc Sophia. Now, let's check out the settings on the Teleport Gate… Yep. Looks like I'll be able to go back no problem." Kirito said as Nexus looks around.

"Gotta say. It's a nice place. That atmosphere feels so free. Ironic in this game of all things." Nexus comments. "This rescue mission that Kayaba sent me on was a cakewalk in all honesty. Didn't take that much time. But the Hollow Area is a pretty cool place."

"Yeah. She was an interesting girl. I could tell there was more to her than meets the eye, but still, she didn't look like the type to kill another player… Just who is she really? And why did Kayaba want you specifically to save her from that place?"

"And why do you have some much plot armor and convenience?" Nexus jokes. "Seriously. We wouldn't have gotten to the administration place without that cross thing on your hand."

"Kirito!" Someone calls out as Nexus and Kirito look to see a blond girl wearing white and green clothes all over her body. She had long blond hair ties with a flower-like hairband.

"Wh-What?" Nexus calls out confused.

"Hey, Kirito!" This time, it was Silica calling Kirito out which bamboozles Nexus even more. "Huh?"

'What? Silica? Who's the blond chick? How many people are in Kirito's harem? I'm starting to lose count at this point.'

"Th-Thank goodness!" The blond girl sighs as Kirito chuckles.

"Leafa? Silica?" Kirito asks.

"Wait you know this blond girl? What's going on?"

"Nexus?" Silica questions. "You're back!"

"Yeah. I am I guess. Death couldn't hold me." Kirito slaps Nexus back. "Ow!

"Goro?" The blond girl questions as she stares at Nexus.

"Do I know you?"

"It's me Suguha." Nexus was taken back by that.

"What?!" Nexus looks top to bottom to top to bottom again. "Sugu? As in short, kendo loving, dorky, I like to mess around with Suguha?" Leafa nods. "You look nothing like you did in real life. Blond hair, taller, other stuff. No scratch that. Why are you here?"

"That's a long story, but Kirito? Where were you?"

"We totally lost your location information, Kirito! And you were gone for such a long time… I-I…" Silica stammers.

"We're so glad to see you."

"But you knew I wasn't dead, right? The Monument of Life would have told you that…" Kirito thinks back. "Oh, right… You can't check that anymore, huh…?"

"Wait what do you mean? The monument is on Floor 1. What happened?"

"Well, we can't teleport to anywhere under Floor 76." Nexus was confused as he went to the teleportation gate. "Teleport: Lindas!"

Nexus expected him to be teleported away only to find that he was right back to where he started.

"Well, anyway, here I am. Now, what's the plan?" Kirito asks as Asuna and Koharu pops up.

"K-Kirito! Nexus!" Asuna and Koharu call out as they rush towards the two.

"Oh hey… How's it going?"

"A-Are you… Have you… Are you okay?!" Asuna asks as she looked at Kirito.

"Calm down Asuna. I'm fine."

"Th-Thank goodness you're all right. I seriously panicked and was looking everywhere for you…" Asuna starts to tear up. "I mean, it's been such a long time, and no one had heard anything from you… You were lost for a whole day! You could at least have sent everyone a message!"

"Oh yeah. Guess I could have done that…"

"You're SUCH an idiot, Kirito!"

'The poor girl must've been worried sick about him.' Koharu thought before looking at Nexus. "And where have you've been? Yuuki has been struggling day after day waiting for you. What took you this long to get here? Weren't doing anything weird with that girl you said that you'd had to save were you? You've caused your wife enough heartache as it is."

"Calm down, Koharu. You should know that I would never do something like that. I just came back from the void today and then found the girl, found Kirito, came back here today. So I did it as fast as I could."

A girl pops up revealing to be Yui as she stands next to Asuna.

"Ah, Yui… Yui, can you say something to Asuna…?" Kirito asks but her daughter looked kinda pissed. A sight that no parent wants to see with their children.

"Yui's alive? Suguha's here. What's next, there's another girl not supposed to be here but is." Nexus questions as Kirito nods. "I was joking."

"It's a very long story."

"DADDY!" Yui yells as Kirito flinches.

"Y-Yes!"

"You did a naughty thing, Daddy! Mommy's been struggling to hold back the tears all this time, trying her best to find you! And now that you're here, you just…"

"Yui… I think daddy is getting the picture." Nexus says as he looks at the group that has formed up. "Look, guys, I'm sorry about what has happened a week back. I wanna stick around and explain what I've done but I need to see Yuuki asap. Please let me go."

The group was quiet as Koharu nods. "Agil's place is that away. It's a restaurant type place, you can't miss it and then go up the stairs. Third room to the left is Yuuki's place."

"Thank you Koharu. I'm in your debt. Glad to see that my niece is alright. And still. Something is off with you Sugu." Nexus dashes off towards the direction that Koharu points as he almost bumps into a certain swordsman. "Klein! Sorry my main compadre but this is important stuff. You can't keep the lady waiting! See you!"

"Oh. Sure dude. Glad to see that you're still kicking." Klein says as Nexus dashes off into the bazaar rushing past Lisbeth, Agil, Ren, and a black haired girl.

"Nexus? That was him, right?" Agil asked as Lisbeth agrees.

"That's definitely him. I gave him that broadsword and I'll remember it anywhere."

"Nexus?" The black haired girl questioned.

"Oh, that's right, Sinon. You never met Nexus. He's an old friend who had to deal with some rather harsh issues." Ren said with a frown.

Nexus dashes towards the hallway where he goes to the third door on the left. The door wasn't locked as he opened the door to see that Yuuki was reading something on the desk.

"How odd. Thought you hated reading. You only liked picture books." Nexus said as Yuuki twitches a bit before standing and turning around. "Hey, Yuuki. I'm back! And I know, I'm sorry for what I've done, but" Before he could finish his sentence with tears in her eyes, Yuuki tackle hugs Goro.

"GORO!" Yuuki cried out.

"OOF!" Nexus grunted as the two slammed into the wall in the hall. "I missed you too Yuuki."

"You idiot! I know you couldn't tell but still! You could've said that something was bothering you. You should've trusted me and then you got yourself killed! Nobody asked for you to do that!"

"I do trust you and I'm sorry for making you feel like that. I was just so afraid that I might've slipped something out. It's not that I didn't trust you, I couldn't trust myself. You know me… I'm all blah blah yapping. I couldn't risk it."

"Fine," Yuuki said as they stayed in the moment for a while Yuuki cries into Nexus's jacket for a good solid 5 minutes. "To make it up to me, your spending the whole day with me tomorrow."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Nexus said as the two stand up. "Do you want to go into your room?"

"No. You gotta meet Leafa and Sinon. They're two people that we met and one of them is-"

"Kirito's sis. Yeah, I know. It's still weird to me. But who is Sinon?"

"You'll see. Come on!" Yuuki drags Nexus downstairs as they see that Kirito and the others had reached the bazaar.

"And the man of the hour is here," Ren says as Nexus was confused by that. "You willingly went out of your way to save your sister and you sacrificed yourself. I can say for certain that you my friend are righteous."

"I wouldn't call him that. He still pulls off a little bit of mischief every now and then." Leafa comments as a lot chuckle.

"Now then, Nexus! Did you apologize to Yuuki for all the grief that you've been giving her the past week!?" Lisbeth asks as I nod.

"Yes, I did apologize. And not just to Yuuki, but to everyone here. I've lied to you guys, all of you. I hid the fact that I knew that he was Kayaba and I couldn't tell you guys. For that, I'm truly sorry." Nexus bows his head.

"Ah. Don't be like that. Plus you couldn't without going all execution on us. It's all Kayaba's fault." Ren said as Nexus raises his head.

"Uh. Turns out that Kayaba is kinda innocent." Nexus said as most of the people were shocked. "In my message, I stated that Kayaba wasn't the mastermind behind this whole ordeal. Kayaba tried to create we all thought at the beginning. A truly revolutionary game with full dive virtual reality, but the game was running late and couldn't get an extension. He rushed through the game but passed out unconscious to which a power hungry person, Sugou took over. There he was the that made SAO a death game. When Kayaba came to, he had no idea and by the time that he found out, he lost almost all of his privileges as an admin. He has limited access and couldn't force a shutdown."

"I see. Even if Kayaba wanted to, he couldn't end the game. But he was able to warn us before too many people were killed." Kirito says. "Guess he was doing the right thing."

"But what about you and facing off with Kirito in the finale. That's got to equate to something, right?" Asuna asks.

"Maybe this Sugou is watching from afar. Using his power maybe he forced Kayaba to shelter all the blame. He is the final boss, so when he finally dies, he'll shut up." Agil states as the others agreed.

"But one plan that Sugou didn't realize within this whole thing. Kayaba is able to save 1000 people from their death, they're random but at least Akane is safe. Turns out he was able to halt my death temporarily as well as he when he explained the whole thing. Which means that once everyone is free, you guys can take Sugou down."

"Hell yeah! We can take him down for all the people that died in this game!" Klein cheers as others did as well but Sinon thought something was off.

"Wait. What do you mean temporarily?" Sinon asks as Nexus was caught off guard. Everyone was confused as they looked at Nexus.

"Well, it's not clear right now. Kayaba halted the process of my death but that doesn't mean later. What happens when the game ends, I don't know what's going to happen. Look. It was a poor choice of words."

"If you say so."

"Well, I know what to do! We should party! Nexus is back!" Yuuki shouts as she hugs Nexus around the neck. Klein puts his arm around Nexus as well.

"Heck yeah! We're partying till the sun comes up! Bills is on me Agil!" Klein shouts as everyone cheers before Nexus thought.

'Sinon's question did make me curious. What will happen to me after all this? Who knows? Focus on the present, I guess. Klein's paying so might as well have fun with my friends and my wife.'

 **And I'm late. I hate myself so much because of that, but parents forced me to go to sleep because this wasn't school related. Hope that you don't mind. Now as for a comment that someone has sent about what will happen to Nexus after SAO is cleared? Will he die, guess that's a mystery until later. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter of Nexus the Multiwielder! This is NexusMC signing off! Stay classy!**


	9. Even Peaceful Days Have Action

Everyone partied all through the night and had a merry time. Agil had some quality food in the shop and Klein paid for everyone as he promised which let Nexus make Klein him lose so much col in food profits. But still, everyone just had a merry time. Yuuki was a bit different to Nexus, but she was still her usual cheerful self. And that night, Nexus and Yuuki chose to sleep in the same room as it's been a whole week since they've seen each other.

(Nexus's dream)

Goro looks at his computer watching the E3 livestream as he shakes his head in disappointment when another trailer came for Kingdom Hearts 3.

"They need to stop delaying the game and release it. This game was meant to be released in 2019 for christ's sake. But difficulties and all that jazz, understandable. I'm not a sadist, Square wants to make the game perfect." Goro picks up his phone to see an unknown number as he picks it up. "Hello?"

"Nexus the Rival of the Chosen One. The player with the multi wielding skill, which also has the same name as you. Real name, Iwahashi Goro… An average boy." A figure suddenly appears in his room wearing a black cloak. The voice came from the phone but the figure was making gestures saying that he was saying something naturally. "It seems that you've gone quite strong during your time in the death game. You would make an adequate addition to the organization weren't it for the split between game and reality."

"Who are you? What the heck do you want from me?" Goro asks as he stands up.

"Someone from a most distant past. I've been asked to monitor you if the time is right, but that time isn't now. You have so much to improve in terms of strength."

"You didn't answer my question! What the heck do you want from me!?" Goro goes to punch the figure as it dodges and Goro is pinned down to the floor about an enormous amount of strength.

"The difference between reality and a game is that with a game, the system is the one that helps you… But in real life, they don't give you a crutch to use to activate sword skills or have an unlimited amount of an inventory. In this game, can you tell what is real and what is fantasy?"

"Why should I care about what you say? What does this have anything to do with me? The system? Sword skills? That doesn't matter in the real world, right? It's just a game!"

"You ask too many questions. Perhaps it would be more appropriate that I show it to you. Show you what is in store for you." The figure places his hand on Goro's head as he sees a flash of images of what seems to be centered around a boy with a key type looking blade. He was always with people and they would be different like some were guys, some were girls or all at the same time. Then a million words flow through Goro's brain as it starts to hurt his head with agonizing pain as he screamed for pain but no one came to help him.

"No one will come for you. This is a dream." The hooded figure lets Goro go as he struggles to stand up. "Remember that. What is real power? Use that to figure out your light or your darkness."

The hooded figure disappears without a trace leaving Goro behind himself as he looked around with a look of confusion. Then he looks down and immediately is falling into an empty abyss where he sees the same boy with the purple Keyblade, this time wielding a red keyblade as well, with a boy in the coat that the other figure was wearing earlier with a black and purple sword and a silver sword, and finally the brown haired boy who had a singular key-like sword as it looked the most like a key than the rest of them.

Then Goro sees more figures, that he saw from the memories, anime style type of girls, friends, family, there was struggle, pain, happiness, memories: good and bad. Then he hit the ground as he rolled over while his hand was covering where his chest . It was burning like he was in a volcano as he yelled out in pain and then he opened his eyes again which, Goro saw a figure that looked vaguely familiar and Goro woke up again, back in Arc Sophia, in Aincrad, in Sword Art Online.

'What the hell kind of dream was that?' Nexus questions as he wipes his forehead. Visual sweat, the attention to detail that it had made Nexus happy as how much technology improves but decided to get up and make some tea for himself and Yuuki if she were to wake up soon. 'She looks so innocent when she's dreaming. Wonder what she's dreaming about."

(Yuuki's dream)

Yuuki, Aiko, and Goro were children again as they were playing together in a flower garden. It was kids having fun, under the bright sun, sunflowers were everywhere, and there was nothing else in sight. But then… the dream started to get dark and Yuuki looked at her hands to see that she was in her SAO form. She looks up to see Aiko in her hospital bed, barely breathing, unable to move as the heartbeat sensor, soon became a straight line.

But Aiko got out of her bed and started walking to a bright door of light as Yuuki tries to chase her sister but the distance between the two was growing as soon, Yuuki couldn't see Aiko anymore. She drops to her knees bawling her eyes out and then Goro shows up in front of her to comfort her, doing whatever he can to make her happy and it worked…

For a short while, the two were happy and wedding bells could be heard in the background as everyone from SAO was there giving congratulations. Goro was standing in a fancy tuxedo with Agil who was the officiant for the ceremony. To the side, was Pina who was the ring bearer as Yuuki enters the door in a beautiful white wedding dress that left Goro stunned immediately as she walked down the aisle. She reaches the Agil and Goro as the boy takes the veil above Yuuki.

"It is an honor to see two friends here about to make the decision that'll change their lives forever. It is a greater pleasure that you two chose me as an officiant." Agil states before giving his officiant speech.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, and to cherish the words which shall unite Yuuki and Goro in marriage. Marriage is the promise between two people who love each other, and who trust in that love, who honor each other as individuals, and who choose to spend the rest of their lives together. This ceremony will not create a relationship that does not already exist between you. It is a symbol of the promises you will make to each other to continue growing stronger as individuals and as partners. No matter what challenges you face, you now face them together, and No matter how much you succeed, you now succeed together. The love between you joins you now as one. The Bride and Groom have a few vows to share."

Goro and Yuuki looked at each other.

"Iwahashi Goro," Yuuki says before smiling. "You have been my first and best friend and done such much for me. You've worked hard to help me see life outside the hospital beds, you've let me see your world of games and I gained friends and memories that I can never forget. You've been there for me when my parents died and when Aiko died. Even though I was so sick, you've stayed with me to even now. I promise you that I will grow stronger to stand by you, to look forward to a brighter future with God as our aid. I promise to be there for you if you play too many games and forget to eat(People laughing could be heard in the background) but it would probably be the reverse order. (People laughed even harder.) I promise to support you and your dreams and I promise you to be there for you in the fun and the tough."

"Konno Yuuki." Goro starts before taking a deep breath. "I've known you for almost my entire life and you've been my best friend during my troubles. Back when I started working at the restaurant, you were my first fan of my cooking. Your energy and optimism can't help but bring a smile on my face even though the times were the toughest. I promise you that I would stay with you, laugh with you, cry with you, grow with you through the hardships that God has set for us. I will love you when we are together and when we are apart. I promise to support your dreams and respect our differences, to help you through our hardest times and to love you and be your side through all the days and nights of our lives. I promise that I will protect you from any danger, I promise to find a way to help and save you."

The last line made Yuuki tear up a bit as Agil calls Pina to bring the rings up and hands it to Goro and Yuuki.

"Do you Konno Yuuki, take Iwahashi Goro to be your beloved husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, till death do you part?"

"I do! I do!" Yuuki couldn't hold her excitement as she puts the ring on Goro's finger.

"Do you Iwahashi Goro, take Konno Yuuki to be your beloved wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, till death do you part?"

"I do," Goro says with a bright smile as he answers while inserting the ring onto Yuuki's finger.

"If anyone here has any objection to this couple getting married, let them speak now or forever hold your peace," Agil calls out as no one made a sound. "Well then Goro. You can kiss the bride!"

Yuuki and Goro look at each other before the two kissed as everyone clapped at the beautiful ceremony but then Goro slowly stands back and when Yuuki opens her eyes, she sees a sword in Goro's chest. He walks back slowly as he extends his arm to Yuuki before exploding into pixels.

That's when Yuuki woke up in the inn bedroom with a yell as she looks to the right to see Nexus holding a cup of tea for her.

"Rough dream as well?" Nexus asks as Yuuki tears up and grabs Nexus as he almost spills the drinks on the girl.

"Don't ever leave me!" Yuuki cried out as she bawled all over Nexus who places the drinks down and comforts his wife.

"I'll never leave you. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that I will never, ever in my life leave you for whatever reason. I'm even going to look for a way to save you. In this game and when we get out. I promise."

Nexus the Multi-Wielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 9: Even Peaceful Days Have Action

Nexus woke up a bit sluggish the next morning and looks to see that Yuuki was sleeping soundly without a trouble so he decided to have something early and went downstairs to see Agil behind the counter. It was amazing at how quick the two of them cleaned the cafe for the next day.

"Morning Agil. Ready for a big day I see. Glad that we got the place ready in time." Nexus comments as Agil looks up.

"Yeah. The party was massive. Thanks for cleaning." Agil says as readies something to drink before giving it to Nexus. "So you have any plans for today?"

"Well I have a date with the missus today. That's what today is about. Call it a makeup of the past two weeks." Nexus said as he takes a sip. "Black tea, Agil? What did I do so wrong?"

"That's what you get for making your wife worry like that. Take it from me. When I let my wife down, very rarely. After I apologize and make everything up, I would drink Black Tea as it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It's like a small punishment for me so I would remember that failing my wife and seeing her like that feels worse than the tea."

"Wise advice, Agil. I'll remember that." Nexus comments as he continues to drink the bitter tea as Leafa and Yui comes down.

"Good morning!" Yui calls out as she dashes toward Nexus.

"Morning, Yui. You're up early." Nexus says as Yui nods.

"I woke up early today but Mama and Papa weren't awake yet but Leafa was awake so we were talking for a bit."

"I'm used to waking up early because of my kendo practice but I guess we don't have to do that here in SAO with sword skills and such but it's still good to find ways to attack without using the what was it?"

"The Cardinal System. But right now. The system is a bit wacky right now. It's because of… Kayaba's death…" A pop up appears in front of Yui for Nexus as he touches it. It was the coding for Yui which mind boggles him as he looks through the settings. It had details about her personalities, how she looked, and a link to a stylesheet which had her many outfits which made him interested at how much stuff that Kayaba put into Yui as she gives Nexus a look.

"Is something wrong Uncle Nexus?" Yui asks as Leafa gives Nexus a weird look. "Is there something wrong?"

"You have a CSS file that handles your appearance and outfits? It's pretty clever that Kayaba did that in my opinion."

"Huh? How do you know that?" Leafa asks.

"Oh. With my limited amount of admin privileges. I guess I can see things that other players can't and perform a limited amount of things."

"Admin privileges!? You have those? Then why can't you force a shutdown of the servers? Wait? Why do you even have admin powers in the first place?"

"Did Kirito not tell you what happened?" Nexus asks as Leafa shakes her head and Yui does the same. "This is quite the story to tell then. Looks like Yuuki will be asleep for a while so I'll talk."

And Nexus told the story of what happened to him and Silica in Floor 40 and what happened to Shinzo and Akane with Laughing Coffin and them killing Akane with making Shinzo turn into a commander of Laughing Coffin. During that time, Nexus explained about getting his unique skill, Nexus and making a deal with Kayaba to help the people in SAO so that Akane can be saved. He also explained to Leafa and Yui about his relationship with Yuuki which shocks Leafa. The attack at Laughing Coffin and the final battle on Floor 75.

"And that about wraps up my story. The only reason that I'm still alive is that Kayaba saved me but gave me a final job that I need to uphold which I already finished. To save the girl, Philia from the place that Kirito disappeared to yesterday. It's an interesting place with a bunch of treasure and high-level monsters. Not going to lie, but I'm interested in the place for a multitude of reasons."

"That sounds like the gamer you are… But it feels like everyone had grief while playing the game. People die, friends or family is gone, and you guys still fight, to save everyone here. But it's like you're the one fighting the most. How do you handle everything that you do?"

"The emotional things with Shinzo and Akane… It's numbing knowing that Akane is safe… and that when we get out of here, a therapist may be what Shinzo needs. As for the multitasking of juggling everything… I'm used to so much work piled up on my shoulders. Going to school was daunting as it was, but you know that I worked for my parents and that was a challenge but I got paid so I could get games, software, and stuff for Yuuki who was stuck in the hospital, gotta make sure that she was ok so I worked harder for her and others so that they can still have fun. "Nexus says as he finishes the tea.

"Is that black tea? Why are you doing that to yourself?" Leafa asks as Yui agrees.

"Black tea is known for the strength. But it's not preferred by most people. Why are you drinking, Uncle Nexus?"

"It's something that I did that I asked Nexus to try out. When I would do something bad to my wife, I would drink a lot of black tea as it taste feels worse than seeing her like that." Agil explains as Leafa nods. Yui then proceeds to eat something that Agil had served her and Agil gets a drink for Leafa.

"So if I may ask, Su-" Nexus stops himself. "Sorry. Leafa? How are you so high leveled if you supposedly came recently?"

"I played a VRMMORPG called Alfheim Online. It's different as everyone can choose between individual nations and they all get special stats. And everyone can fly and use magic… which I can't seem to do here which is fine. I transferred my data from the game so I guess my stats copied and pasted itself into SAO."

"And how are you diving into Alfheim Online? Can't be a Nervegear."

"What we have is something called the Amusphere. It's different from Nervegear as the Amusphere doesn't have the microwaves so I would be fine from SAO."

"That makes a lot of sense. No one would play or buy the thing if it was as dangerous as the Nervegear."

"What are you talking about so early in the morning?" Someone asked as the everyone looks to see Sinon as she was walking down the stairs.

"Oh. Sinon, right?" Nexus asks as Sinon nods. "We're not doing anything really. Just two friends catching up after seeing each other for two years… Leafa and I are close friends in the real world and thought it would good to just chat over some drinks. You're free to join us if you want."

"No, it's fine. I don't want to intrude in your conversation."

"It's fine. You can join in Sinon. I don't mind." Leafa said as Sinon thinks about it before taking a seat.

"Sinon. So what do you do during your free time? Do you read, play games of any sorts?"

"I read a lot in the outside world at this little family diner all the time. I was the shy one so I tended not to be around too many people but then this one kid who comes up to me, and I guess he worked there but he looked around my age… started asking me a bunch of questions and I didn't know what… to say…" Sinon trails off once she and Nexus fully understand.

"Wait… That's you? I mean you look different then you're real appearance but still." Nexus exclaims as Sinon nods.

"Huh? You know Sinon in the real world?" Leafa asks.

"Not really. I just sort of saw her alone and decided to strike up a conversation during my break. It was nothing special but then she came by multiple times so I thought… She seems kinda lonely so why not be her friend."

"That kinda sounds like you," Leafa said as the three chuckles for a bit.

"So this is where you went, hmm?" Sinon said. "Do you help Agil in the shop?"

"No I don't but that seems like a good idea. It might be a little fun. Would it be ok if I work here on some days?"

"Sure. I could always use more help in the shop. But I'm going to have to give you a job interview before I hire you. You gotta get experience for job interviews."

"Sure thing but at a later time," Nexus says as he stretches. "Sinon. Do you have any plans to joining us as we go through Aincrad?"

"It's been a thought yes. But I'm going to need some training before I do any of that."

"Fair. You should get Kirito to help you. Or Asuna. They're the top players of the game… Wait… Can Yuuki beat Kirito?"

"That is a good question," Leafa says as Sinon was confused. "Kirito said that he had lost their fight but he didn't have the dual wielding skill as he does now."

"And he's beaten me so I'm out of the question." Nexus sees Yuuki walking down rubbing her eyes. "Hey, sleepy head. Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did after the first dream… Thanks for staying with me." Yuuki says.

"It's no problem at all." Nexus looks at the time. "Well should we go out on our all-day date or do you want to get a bite to eat? If Agil allows me, I could probably make something with my glitched cooking skill."

"No. I don't want you to work today! Let's just go get a bite to eat."

"Alright. Seeya guys!"

"Bye!" Leafa, Sinon, and Agil call out as Yui waves with a mouth full of food.

"I still find it weird that Nexus has a girlfriend. I've known him for a long time and he never seemed like the type of person who could and would get a girlfriend."

"You sound like you're jealous of Yuuki. That's bad karma you know." Sinon calls out as Leafa blushes.

"Are you kidding me? No way! I like someone else!"

"Oh? Mind telling me who it is that you like? You caught my interest." Sinon smirks as Leafa looks at the girl.

"AHH! SINON!" Leafa yells out.

'Sounds like someone is having fun at the suffering of others.' Nexus says as the two goes to a local restaurant. The two had a simple omelette as the two walked around Arc Sophia.

"I've never had time to really admire this place! It looks amazing." Yuuki states as she looks around the stalls of food and jewelry.

"This looks like an everything…in Arc Sophia. What did you do for a whole entire week?"

"I been neglecting the stuff here and been focusing on trying to get to the Labyrinth," Yuuki says with a frown.

"What? That doesn't sound like you at all! The first thing that you would do so will be having fun and exploring new stuff… What hap-... oh. I see." Yuuki nods as Nexus shakes his head. "Sorry. That was rather thoughtless of me. I didn't think."

"It's fine. You're back now and I can explore everything here with you!" Yuuki says as she pulls Nexus through the market square where for some reason was filled by player-made vendors and even Koharu and Ren were selling clothes and jewelry that were fair prices to Nexus's eyes by just design alone.

"Yuuki! Nexus!" Koharu calls out as the two went to them. "Welcome to our shop! See something that you like?"

"Wow! Do you make all these!? They look amazing!" Yuuki's eyes sparkled at the stuff.

"No no. I made the jewelry and Koharu made the clothes." Ren said as he opens his inventory and a piece of ore appears in his hands. "A master miner NPC turned the ore into beautiful jews which can either boosts stats of items or be used for stylish jewelry."

"And I self-knitted all of my stuff. Everything here from shirts, shorts, skirts, dresses, and other clothes. My skill in knitting was amazing before we came to this floor. Now it's not that great. It such a pain."

"Trust me. I know how it feels. My cooking skill is now, in one word, bad, but in two words not good."

"Didn't you help make some of the food from last night?" Yuuki calls out as Nexus let down a nervous sweat. "It was still good though. How on earth did the food taste so good then?"

"No… You're not that good at cooking are you?" Ren asks as Nexus shrugs. "You are so full of surprises that I have no words on what to say."

"Ok then. How much for the purple necklace?" Nexus asks as he sees that Yuuki has been staring at it for quite some time now.

"Huh? That. That's 30,000 col for that necklace. Not only does it look fashionable but it boosts strength and vitality by a whole 80 points. Apparently, this stone is really rare." Ren explains as Nexus and Yuuki's eyes become the size of plates.

"80 whole gosh darn points!? That's 40 attack and defense right there! And it's basically the price of two Anneal Blades. That's a steal right there. Are you sure you should be selling this, Ren? You could use this while we go up the floors."

"Nah, it's fine. I have something better than that and the same goes for Koharu. We have something that raises all stats by 60 points, so a thirty stat increase in each stat. This is a better thing but I only had two."

"Wow. That fits you Koharu. It looks so pretty on you." Yuuki says as she looks at Nexus with a pleading look. "Can you please buy it for me, Nexus?"

"Well all right. I'll buy it." Nexus says as he sends the col to Ren happily accepts it as Koharu sends it to Nexus who takes it out of his inventory and motions to turn around as she raises her hair up. He puts it around his neck as she turns around.

"What do you think?"

"Woah! It looks amazing! Nexus has a good eye when it comes to fashion."

"Not really. Fashion has never been one of my strong suits. I liked it and Yuuki took an interest so I bought it. Real MVP here was Ren. You did good work finding this stone. And I might come back for some special clothes on the off days." Nexus says as he looks at the time. "Well we got more stalls to check out. Hope the business does well."

"Thank you. Have a good one."

After walking away from Ren and Koharu's stall, the two walked through Arc Sophia eating little snacks here and there as they looked through the vendors where there was one that caught Nexus's eye. It was a vendor that sold games like Monopoly as Nexus secretly buys a deck of cards for himself. The kind that has 52 cards excludding Jokers and also but 300 chips for half of the supposed price. The cards were cut and stacked properly so there was no difference in the cards for false plays and a thought came up for Agil's place, "Poker Night". 'That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. If we do that, then the profits of the place might skyrocket compared to the old prices. And you can have fun with my work pastime. Goro, you are a genius!"

Nexus has had an addiction to card games like Cardfight! Vanguard and Yu-Gi-Oh, but he is mostly a Poker fanatic and constantly plays the game online when he has to multi-task. In the world of SAO, cards were never a thing so people had to pass time by other ways that I as an author would not like to go into too deeply as the length and also the weird things. (Some NPCs in Integral Factor, I swear.)

There were too many stalls that Nexus and Yuuki could do in one run as they went under a tree to rest for a bit with the shade.

"This is turning to be a lot of fun, Gor-Nexus." Yuuki corrects herself. "It feels great that you're finally back."

"Yuuki. It sounded like you were a different person while I was gone. Are you ok?" Nexus asks as Yuuki nods.

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Really I am! The whole situation on Floor 75 was just a lot to handle and I when I got that message from you, it gave me hope to keep on going." Yuuki says as she looks at the clouds. "But I didn't want to feel useless so I've been working on raising my level! I'm Level 107 now!"

"107! That's a whole 9 levels from where I am. You must've done a lot of grinding to do that."

"It's nothing. It kept my thoughts away from the thought that you were gone for a while. But now that you're here! I can enjoy a lot of things again!" Yuuki said buy Nexus caught something in her tone of voice.

"Yuuki? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"I've known you for a long time. I can tell when you're lying to me. Yuuki. What is it?"

"It's nothing! There's nothing wrong!" Yuuki went up all defensively on Nexus as he had to pursue it for his wife's stake.

"Yuuki. Was this about the dream from last night? The one where you woke up and hugged me?"

"How did you know it was about that?" Yuuki exclaims as Nexus shares his head.

"Besides me being gone for a week and a half, the only thing that came to mind was the time that you woke up last night. If I may ask, what was the dream about that caused you to think about it so much?"

"It...The dream… The dream was about the three of us, you, me, and Aiko were playing together like when we were little but then she died and then was too far like heaven is far. Then it was our wedding all over again. Agil as our officiant, Pina as our ring bearer, our exact same views. Those vows made me love you even more."

"But then what happened after that? Did it have to do with me dying on the 75th floor?"

"Yes. After the wedding and we kissed, I saw you… You got stabbed and before I could reach out to you, you explode into pixels. Then I woke up." Yuuki said as Nexus hugs her.

"Don't worry Yuuki. I'm here. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not going to leave you."

"Promise? Not even after a hundred years have passed?"

"Even then when a hundred years have passed, I will still be there to take care of you. I promise."

"Really?" Yuuki asks as her eyes were shining like a star in the night.

"Really," Nexus says as the two stayed together and before long, the two had fallen asleep under the shade.

(Nexus's dream)

Nexus was walking in a black area that resembled a clock as multiple hourglasses with each having a different color of sand. There were poles that were attached to the floor with gears attached to the poles. There in the middle, he sees a teenager covered by the same black coat from the first dream. He had silver hair, dark skin, an adolescent face, and gold eyes. He extends out his hand revealing a blade that had a shade of blue with elaborate spiked shapes. The tip of the blade seemed to be a stopwatch white the teeth are diamond shape spikes that are connected by a black web structure.

Nexus looks up to see by his surprise, Yuuki in her bed in a sort of comatose state unable to move and he turns around to see himself in the same attire as he summons a sword and rushes towards the teenager. Then he heard a voice. This time, the voice sounded old. It came out as Nexus was having a hard time-fighting.

"What a sight. You see how powerless you are to save her? Savor that rage and despair. Let it empower you, Goro. Otherwise, you'll never get back what you lost."

"Who are you? Why are you messing with my mind?"

"This is a battle… A war even between light and darkness. And you'll be a vessel for darkness. That I will make certain."

"Hell no! I don't want any part in your schemes old man!" Nexus summons his sword as he sees his other version getting beaten the grey-haired teacher before shrugging it off and attempts to attack the old man as he blocks it with a key-like sword. "What in the hell? What is that?"

"A Keyblade. A legendary and mythical weapon past down from generation to generation of disciples. It holds the power to unlock the hearts." The old man stabs himself as a yellow orb appears in the sky. "Now. It's your darkness that will sustain me!"

Orb comes towards Nexus and before it hit him, he woke up. It was late afternoon, almost evening time when he realized that Yuuki was sleeping soundly as he taps her cheek and she slowly woke up.

"Come on sleepyhead. We should be getting back." Nexus says as Yuuki let out a cute grumble.

"Five more minutes… Please?"

"No we can't. Agil and the others are going to start to worry about us. It's getting late." Yuuki raises her head as she rubs her eye. "Atta girl. Let's go."

Yuuki grabbed Nexus's arm for support until she was fully awake enough and the two reached the hotel. The two bumped into Asuna and Kirito who were also coming back from their date.

"Kirito, Asuna! Did you just come back?" Yuuki asks as the two turned around.

"We did. Guess you guys just came back from your date." Asuna said. "Keeping Nexus out of trouble?"

"Yep! Same for Kirito?" Asuna nods as Nexus and Kirito look at each other.

"Why do they make us sound like we're criminals and do this on a regular basis?" Nexus asks as Kirito shrugs.

"I've just learned to deal with it and move on." Kirito said as Nexus smiles. "What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just that, you're different from how you were on Floor 1. You have so many _**ahem**_ friends. But you still haven't learned one thing."

"What is that?"

"And that's exactly it." 'You can't take a hint about all the girls that like you.' "You don't have to know now, but eventually it'll matter the most." Nexus looks at the two girls who were already in a table talking. "That was fast… Say Kirito, wanna play Poker? Found someone at the bazaar with deck of cards and poker chips."

"Now? Sorry but I need to check something out. Klein tried going into the Hollow Area and it didn't work, so I'm going to go try it out."

"Alright. Seeya." Kirito left as Nexus went to Agil and holds out a deck of cards. "Hey Agil. I'm here for the job interview."

"Oh that's good… Is that a deck of cards? So you play that much that anyone can tell what kind of person you are?"

"Yep. I mean we know each other and this is a casual game. No gambling. 10,000 points of credits. That good?"

"Yep." Agil extends his hand out as Nexus shakes it. Then he takes the cards and starts shuffling them as Nexus takes out 9 small red chips and 10 big black chips per person. Agil deals the card as Nexus looks at his cards. 4 of clubs and ace of hearts.

'Not a bad starting hand. A straight can happen with this hand. Knowing Agil, this will be fun.'

*45 minutes later

Nexus - 2800 points in chips

Agil - 4500 points of chips

Pool: 2700 points of chips

A group of people gathered around Agil and Nexus's poker game as everyone was interested.

'Four of a kind. Pair of nines. Ok, this has to be all or nothing.' Nexus thought. "Ok, Agil. Final round. All in!"

"Same here then if you're that confident. Call!"

"Four of a kind, it's a pair of nines." The crowd was amazed at the play as they waited in anticipation for Agil's hand as he nods slowly.

"I've got to admit, you're a good opponent. And I learned a lot about you. You're hired." Agil nods as Nexus smiles. "But that came in the cost of your win."

Agil puts down his cards as the smile was destroyed from Nexus's face. "Straight Flush. I win." The crowd looked at Agil and his cards before looking at Nexus and his cards before cheering. "Good game."

Agil extends his hand as Nexus shakes his head to keep himself out of a daze. He's a good sport after all and knows when he lost. He shakes Agil's hand before asking something. "So when do I start?"

"Training can begin as soon as tomorrow. I want to see how you can do with a busy day of work."

"All right boss! I'm in your care."

A bit later, Yuuki was asleep in her bed as Nexus was pondering about his dreams that he had.

*flashback*

"It seems that you've gone quite strong during your time in the death game. You would make an adequate addition to the organization weren't it for the split between game and reality."

"What is real power?"

He sees the a boy with the purple Keyblade and a red keyblade, with a boy in the coat that the other figure was wearing earlier with a black and purple sword and a silver sword, and finally the brown haired boy who had a singular key-like sword as it looked the most like a key than the rest of them.

"What a sight. You see how powerless you are to save her? Savor that rage and despair. Let it empower you, Goro. Otherwise, you'll never get back what you lost."

"This is a battle… A war even between light and darkness. And you'll be a vessel for darkness. That I will make certain."

"A Keyblade. A legendary and mythical weapon past down from generation to generation of disciples. It holds the power to unlock the hearts." The old man stabs himself as a yellow orb appears in the sky. "Now. It's your darkness that will sustain me!"

*flashback ends

'Those dreams didn't seem fake… It's like those people were actually trying to do something to me… It's unsettling.' Looks at Yuuki before smiling. 'I shouldn't worry about them now. They're just dreams. I have a job to do tomorrow. It's going to be hard. I need some sleep.'

Nexus heads to his room which was across the hall as he opens his menu and gets into his sleeping clothes before falling asleep almost immediately. During the night, Yuuki and Nexus didn't have those dreams again. Nor ever again.

 **Hello! Ladies and Gentlemen! This is your host NexusMC coming to you with a prewritten message. We will be going to the author as he explains the situation. So if you will please Matthew.**

 **Thanks, Nexus. So only one massive message in the back. Really says something about me right? Yeah, I don't want to be cheap and have two massive messages to "increase" the length of the story when some people don't read it right? Now, why didn't I post in all of last week? That's an easy question honestly. It's because I got grounded for the first and last time in my life. Well, not last time most likely when my parents see my grades. But yeah I got grounded for the first time... for making a firework. Yep. I did it. Crazy right?**

 **Does that mean that HH RWBY will be skipped... Yeah, sort of. That series will not be posted for a reason. More news and information will be coming soon... But oh boy! I can't believe it! Data frickin RIKU! I called it. Wasn't Xion no. Becoming a Xehanort doesn't change the hair color unless you're Terra or Aqua.**

 **Now a question that I'm willing some of you guys are asking? Or two of them. What's the hype for the future when I have absolutely no idea about the current of the series? Will I even be able to work on this series? Answer to that question is... Sure. I will but it sure is going to be shorter. In fact, all of my stories are going to be shorter from now on as I can barely post one week as it is. But this one chapter that is coming soon is going to be a mind blower. Well, not a mind blower as it'll probably be normal all things considering.**

 **Another thing that people are going to wonder is that, why is this chapter called Even Peaceful Days Have Action as there was no real "action". Well, action doesn't have to exactly fighting and what not. Emotional and Relationship hardships can be a certain type of action. As for why, no comment. Now with that, all said, back to you Nexus.**

 **Thanks, Matthew. Great having you on the show. But that's all the time we have for today. This is NexusMC signing off! Stay Classy!**


	10. Special

Matthew Song

Age: 16

Height: 180cm 5'11

Blood Type: B+

Birthdate: October 2nd

Male

(Y/N Your name) *Wanted to try something.

"It is so hard to think straight! I mean! Come on! This is ridiculous!" I say while slamming my head on the table. There was a cup of Earl Grey and a slice of pie sitting next to me as I go through my Physics homework that is thoroughly kicking my ass. I already have a B in the class and don't get me started on U.S. History. My teacher is teaching harsher than the APUSH students. Seriously the normal students in his class beat people in the ap class in the AP test.

I look at my clock that was sitting on my desk as it showed 1:00 am. October 2nd, my birthday. It would be special for me if it was on a weekend but I digress. I'll be celebrating it with my family the following weekends anyway. I decided to take a break from my homework and take a look at my fanfiction files that are safely stored on my USB drive as well as backed up on the cloud.

I take a look at the HyperHeart RWBY files and immediately flashed back to the time I got an old PS2 from my dad with a copy of Yakuza 2, Kingdom Hearts 1, 2, and Re: Chain of Memories for my birthday 10th birthday in 2012 and I had a PS3 with other games. At first, I didn't think much of it when it came to the Kingdom Hearts games as it had Disney elements that made it seem childish and started playing Yakuza 2. I had no idea of the full story at the time and despite my young age, I grew to love Kazuma Kiryu as the main character. After the game, I had nothing to do and for a year I had other interests before picking up Kingdom Hearts 1 and inserted it into my PlayStation 2.

At first, I wasn't thinking much of the game but as I kept on playing the game, I started to get attached to the game series and loved Sora as a character. He's just so goofy and lovable. Riku was an edgelord to me but still, a cool character even if he betrayed Sora and Kairi was that one friend who needed to be saved but was the key part in Sora and Riku's rivalry. When I completed the game for the first time(and raging at Sephiroth for 5 hours) I actually teared up because it was just a beautiful scene to me.

Then Chain of Memories came by because I thought that it took place before 2 due to Sora's outfit and still looked like he did in Kingdom Hearts 1 so I tried it before 2. And I absolutely hated the combat. Cards should've never been introduced as this game's battle mechanic and after a tough ordeal of getting through Castle Oblivion and fighting Organization XIII was when I started to get an idea. My first idea for a fanfiction. Organization XIII had thirteen members originally but after Coc, Zexion, Lexaeus, Vexen, Marluxia, and Larxene were all dead. I made up original characters that would have replaced them in Kingdom Hearts 2 as I started the game.

Roxas was a cool person to me and I have a bunch of plans ready for him. And in his 3-hour segment, I cried when he was forcibly sacrificed to help Sora wake up and they fought against Organization XIII. Afterward, I got a 3ds where I played 358/2 days, again cried when Xion died this time, Re: Coded that I fucking hated with all of my heart and soul, and Dream Drop Distance, before playing Birth By Sleep on PS3 in Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD Remix. There was Terra, the saltine cracker, Ventus, a cinnamon bun, and Aqua, blueberry mom.

Between these two times, I started watching anime and the first time and the first anime I started to watch was in 2015. That was when I started to watch, Love Live School Idol Project, Sword Art Online, Date a Live, Familiar of Zero, and Rosario Vampire. That's when I started going to dive into the anime fan with having "waifus" as it became a prominent basis in writing these stories. At the same time, I played Undertale and boom. My mind exploded when I saw the exposition in the story and Sans as a general lovable character and not just him but most of the people in the underground were likable in my opinion.

Also in this time, Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth 1 was released and a friend had introduced me to the series, with the stories of Neptune, Noire, Blanc, Vert, IF, and Compa. And I was immediately hitched to the series, not because of the girls and fanservice, but the references and jokes that made as well as having good characters in a fantasy world. It just felt great to me. And after long-awaited games come by one by one, I was introduced to the CPU Candidates, Nepgear, Uni, Rom, and Ram. And it just became better and better with Plutia, Peashy, Uzume, Adult Neptune.

Being introduced to all of these stories widen my imagination as a child and that was what led me to write Fanfictions, but I remember the first series that I watched a kid that really started it all in gaming and animations. Which was Yu-Gi-Oh, more specifically Yu-Gi-Oh 5ds. I don't care what anyone else says, that series was amazing and I got hitched into the show and I watched the original and GX before Zexal came out and then Arc-V which just became even more fun. I developed a little competitive part of card games, with Yu-Gi-Oh which led to other card games that weren't exactly legal for someone my age like Poker or Blackjack but I stopped gambling after a while. Then I was introduced into Cardfight Vanguard for one reason, Tokoha Anjou. I don't know what happened exactly, but after seeing her and amvs, I started to watch the anime and I was hooked while learning the game in like two hours tops.

After playing Kingdom Hearts 3D and the Rebirth 3, while watching a new show on Youtube, RWBY which seemed pretty cool and I loved it. Monty Oum is such a good director but it's a shame at what happened, but all we can do is keep on going forward.

After all this time, being experienced to all sorts of series, I get a little curious and I head to an unholy land known as fanfictions last year. Fourteen-year-old me was curious at the time and thought is there a crossover between Kingdom Hearts and Hyperdimension Neptunia, turns out there were. It wasn't a lot, but it was something. Then I thought, Kingdom Hearts and RWBY and two stories greatly influenced me which was "Smaller, More Honest Souls" by Master Caedus, and "The Light of Remnant" by ImSoAwesome. Two amazing and talented fanfiction makers in my opinion.

I wake up to see that it was 7 o'clock. Guess I fell asleep while doing homework. Oh well. Guess I'll do some homework during lunch time. Getting through the morning routine is easy enough and the next thing I know, I'm in class as 7:41, exactly on time like always causing a major scene in the class to most people laughing at or with me. It's mostly leaning towards with me though which I guess is somewhat of a plus.

I go through my day with class after class after class when I hear the faintest sound in behind me but when I looked back, no one was there. Guess I was a little tired as I shake my head and continue walking to class when I hear it again, and once again I turned around. No one was there.

This happened constantly for the whole day and even on my way back home, I thought I saw someone flying over the houses next to me but no one. I guess all the stress was building up on me as I continued to walk home. The folks weren't home until the evening but I still had my keys and as soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by a surprise that surely shocks any normal person.

"SURPRISE!" Confetti was thrown into the air as I entered the house and the next thing I saw, was everyone. Sora, Ruby, Neptune, Kirito, Mizore, Axel, Maki, and even more people that looked familiar. They were all from the animations or games that I've worked on fanfictions for. Even people that I haven't written about yet like Plutia, Weiss, and many more… My friends, well not the outside ones, but the OCs that I had written for HyperHeart RWBY were there as well. Even Tristan, Goro, Yu, Sho, and even parallel version me were here as I looked around to see decorations for a person's birthday party.

"What? How the heck?" I had no idea what was going on when Axel pushes me a bit closer to the crowd before closing the door.

"Well what do you think, Matthew? I think it was a real success. And we boy surprised you, didn't we?" Sho says with a chuckle.

"What?"

"Yeah. If it weren't for Neptune, we would've never had gotten out of the computer world." Yu adds. "Sometimes, even the simple things in life are fun. Doesn't have to be a card game."

"What what?"

"Boosh, Yu. We all know you're lying. Your addicted to card games. You even stayed up till 1 am trying to learn the new summoning method on Vrains." Tristan adds."Maybe you could've done something productive than doing card games."

"What-what-what?"

"To be fair, Tristan. The only way for Yu to save his dimension is to beat the other team in a children's card game. So cut him some slack. At least he wasn't a planned death man, like me." Goro commented.

"What what wat wa?"

"Yeah yeah. We all know your story Goro. Matthew or I is going to explore that at a later date. But today is going to be an off day for us. We're here to celebrate the birthday of our creator, or me. He is turning sixteen after all. So birthday boy. What do you have in mind for us…? Yo. Earth to me. You alright." Matthew says while I was having a mental meltdown.

"Wait how on earth is even possible magic no I don't think so there is no such thing as magic and even if it were true how on earth did they get out? Did me giving them the ability to break the fourth wall have something to do this but that was meant on being a joke and even then no one really reacted to it and all of those jokes went to Hyperheart RWBY which is the least popular series to date with The Human being the most popular possibly due to time and such but Hyperheart" "MATTHIEU!" *BONK"OW!?" I gasped for air as I looked down to see Peashy had tackled my in the stomach. Neptune was right, this hurts like a bitch. When I looked up, I see that Yang was the one who was gave the order. "whyyy?"

"You were having a meltdown so I decided to give you a wake-up call, " Yang says as I give her a look. "We want you to be heated up for your birthday, not being cold and isolated like Ice Queen over there."

"Hey!" Weiss calls out.

"Wait heated up? Was that a pun?" I asked as Axel leaned on my shoulder.

"Axeltually, that was all mine. Got it memorized?" Everyone groaned at the pun except Yang, Sans, Matthew, Lily, and me who was perfectly cool with it though still groaning a bit before standing up.

"So. How on earth did all of you come out of my computer, decorate my house, and able to fit every single one of you in my house? This place is not this big that I remember it being." I asked after looking around to see that it was bigger than I remembered.

"Oh, that's easy to change. Just a little bit of magic in this, a little bit of construction that." Sora said with nonchalantly with both hands behind his head.

"But how many square feet have been added to the house? Because it looks like everyone has enough room to spare."

"Oh, it's nothing special really. Just 3000 square feet." Neptune says with a chuckle as my eyes went as big as dinner plates.

"3-3 3000 square feet! Are you serious!?" I said in shock as Yui shakes her head which made me relax. She was in her fairy form as she is flying over Asuna's head.

"It's not 3000 square feet, it's more of 2863 square feet," Yui explained as that made me drop to the floor.

"That's still a lot!"

"But we made sure that the exterior doesn't look any different than the outside," Histoire added which made me confused.

"So what? Did you add a basement or something?" I asked as Histoire shakes her head.

"We just made a copy of your house that is flying in the sky. There we made the house bigger using Leanbox's enlarging device and just made it bigger." Ienzo explains with ease as I slowly nod. I was wondering why Ienzo and Peashy were here. I haven't written about them yet.

"That is correct. The game particle enlarger essentially copies and pastes particles like a 3d printer but can really replicate a lot of things like Utilities and energy." Vert continued.

"Ok. Cool cool cool. Coolerinos."

"You're taking this very well, Matthew. Are you sure that you don't need to lie down or anything?" Tsukune asks. "Is it the sudden change in altitude?"

"Can't be. We made a magical bubble so it'll feel like we're on the ground." Kei adds. "Maybe our fanfiction creator is just good at taking these things really well."

"Nah that's not it." I say while rubbing my forehead. "It's just that a flying house is probably the most reasonable thing that has happened right now. And in a few minutes, someone is going to launch a missile at us. Plus at this point, I've seen flying houses before."

"But everyone is still on the ground in 2024. And you haven't developed full dive VR yet so flying houses is anything but normal." Agil says.

"But even still, that doesn't mean all that much. It's just enough for anyone to be here." Avery jokes.

"Yeah… I'm not going to question you guys anymore. I need to de-stress for a bit and spending my birthday with you guys and having fun might just exactly be what the doctor ordered."

"Goodie. Because it was getting a bit too boring. I brought a boombox so let's listen to some awesome beats!" Klein adds as he takes out a boombox.

"Klein has a good choice in music so it'll be fun," Goro says with a smile.

"He really surprised us with that, I'll tell you that much. Though he seems to like more American music than Japanese music." John said with a slight chuckle.

And they were right. The American esque music was really good, so good that I almost started dancing and I'm willing to dance in front of people I technically don't know because this is probably a dream. But it still didn't feel like a dream as I was getting a bit tired and had to stop. Once I realized that I was sweaty and gross, I decided to go to my room where I went into my closet and changed into clean and comfortable clothes. Luckily my Korean genes make sure that my sweat won't make me smell. (It's true look it up.)

When I get out of my closet, I hear that the music had died down a bit and I see Neptune going on my computer looking through my browser history.

"You're not going to find any p*rn on there, you know that?" I said as Neptune jumped.

"Jumpin Jiminy! Are you trying to give me a heart attack!?" Neptune yelped out loud which led Jayden and other me into the room.

"What's going on here? Thought you two would be social butterflies out there." HH Matthew said.

"Oh. You're looking at Matthew's search history. That beats being there for a bit. Whatever we find, we're posting on… what social media do you have?" Jayden asks.

"Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. But again, you'll never find anything on my computer. I always put it on incognito whenever I do stuff. It makes certain web games faster because of the cookies on websites and such."

"So you have no p*rn on your web history?" I shake my head to Neptune's question. "Oh boo! You're no fun! You should have something and make a clear my web history joke!"

"Well it would be weird if I had a girlfriend and they went into my browser history all of a sudden," Matthew said. "There has to be some kind of trust in the relationship."

"Yeah, but he could at least had some fun," Neptune said before the door open revealing Sian, Lily, and Nico.

"Hey. What's going on?" Nico asked. "Why is everyone here? The guest of honor should be downstairs entertaining his guests."

"Right. Sorry about that. Neptune was looking at my internet history to see if there was any H*n*ai on it or something." I said as Sian facepalmed.

"And?"

"Nothing. This guy is scot-free of any lewd pasts so he's cool for now." Said Neptune a little disappointed as that made me chuckle a bit.

"Well alright. Now Nico is right. You should head on downstairs. Get to know some of your guests, personally. Sure you gave them a personality, but only you can give them real character development." Matthew said as everyone gave him a stare. "Oh c'mon. It's true ain't it."

"As much as I hate Matthew for that… (Hey!) He's right. C'mon Matthew. Let's go downstairs." Lily says as she pulls me away towards back downstairs as Lily, Jayden, and Nico were right behind them.

"Do you think that Matthew would download his h*n*ai somewhere?" Neptune asks as Matthew gives a shrug.

"Who knows? But we should get off the computer. It's rude to look at other people's stuff."

"Oh alright… Or you're wanting to make sure that I don't find anything ecchi because he is basically you."

"N-No. That's not it. Look. Let's go downstairs already."

"Alright."

After being pulled down by Lily and talking to Sans, Serena, and Yuuki, Matthew was right. There are some things that I didn't know about some characters. For example, Sans is able to turn into his human form after being exposed to the outer world for quite some time. And Yuuki apparently helped Goro with some of the restaurant duties back when she was able to stand in her real form. Currently, she's in her ALO form, but she said that she's trying to grow her hair longer, to feel like a normal girl again. And Serena, the one person that I thought was the scariest ones here, is afraid of ghosts. Guess she has a huge fear of ghosts and ghouls. After talking to Serena and Sans for a few, Yuuki and I went to get some food and drinks.

"Hey, Yuuki? Do you know who cooked all this food? It tastes amazing." I asked.

"Oh, Nexus, Asuna, and Yu did. They cooked some of the major things while me and the others helped out with some of the stuff like snacks and other things." Yuuki answers as the first thing I wondered was how did they get the money.

"Well that's nice of them. I'll say thanks to them the next time I see them." I said before biting into a piece of a chicken when Yuuki gave me a look and then I knew. This was going to be about Goro. "Yuuki, Goro dying was cruel and I know that. You were heartbroken weren't you?"

"Yeah! I was wondering why did you even considered it as a thing!" Yuuki asks as I looked at my food.

"To be fair, I written myself into a corner when I gave Nexus his power. Kayaba was the one who gave it to him so knowing the type of person that he is, I thought that he'd use Nexus as a type of failsafe in case things go wrong. But then I realized that Sugou could've just been a dick and forced Kayaba to do it despite his wishes. But nevertheless, it was still very very bad."

"Well at least you brought him back to us. That's all I can ask really."

"Don't worry. For stuff for you is still to come… Wow Nico(HyperHeart, not Love Live) has some really good dance moves," I say as Nico who was in his breaker style having a dance competition with Eli and her idol skills.

"Looks like Eli has found an opponent for that ages," Sho says as he walks up to me. "Hey, boss. Having fun at the party?"

"Yeah I am. This is insane on so many levels… Say. Isn't this one of the Yakuza songs? Judgement Shinpan?"

"Yes it is…" Sho said as the song played in the background. "It's interesting that you chose those songs to be sung by me. What made you choose these songs over, say famous anime songs?"

"Well you are singing famous anime songs, just the english covers of the songs with Natewantstobattle. But why I chose the Yakuza karaoke songs was because the fact that they have a sense of charm and humor with these songs. When I watch those videos, especially 24-Hour Cinderella and Baka Mitai."

"That makes sense. Another question if I may add. You put the Love Live fanfiction but you plan to release the sequel of the series which is Bang Dream. Why is that?" Sho's comment caught me off guard.

"What do you mean by that? I only had a plan for that… after a bit of time after redoing HyperHeart RWBY… No one is liking it."

"Well the idea you have is a bit far fetched and so far has little to no content that is original to you. What did you have in mind for a reprint?"

"Going later into the series. Saying that there is an established background with less OCs. So I'm dropping a lot of them and only keeping a few. The rest won't die but might have their own story… Outside of HyperHeart RWBY."

"That's exactly like what is in the letter." Sho shows his phone me as I carefully read it as my face grew pale.

"What the heck? Who is doing that?"

"Do you know someone named Domo_Poro?" Yuuki asks. It does ring familiar to me as I gave a shrug with the so-so hand expression. "Well apparently, someone made an email under that email address and sent it to Sho."

"Well I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for showing me, Sho. Glad you could trust me on this type of stuff."

"What do you mean? Of course, I trust you with this, you created me after all. Unless I was going rogue and wanted you dead."

"Sho has a fair point Matthew." Someone said as I realized that it was Tristan. "Trust me. If it weren't for you, I would've been gone and never been with Mizore like I am now."

"You guys are giving me way too much credit then I deserve. Look at all the other fanfictions on ." I look at my drink before taking a sip before sighing. "They're doing way more then me and the fact that some who start later than me already have more fans then I do. Shows how much of a trash writer that I am."

"Don't be like that!" Yuuki smacks my back as I wince. "You're an amazing person and you should have some self confidence in yourself! Writing a story is hard and you're just starting as a writer. Those other people have more experience than you have."

"Yuuki's right but are you ok? Yuuki's smack was a bit loud and I think that could've done some damage.

"Oh sorry. The necklace that Koharu gave me really boosted my strength stat." I rub my back as I regretted giving her the necklace.

"Nah, It's fine. Have fun you guys, I'm going to greet some of the guests."

"Ok then. Happy Birthday, Matthew!" Tristan and the others said as I walk through the crowd and see that Silica, Lisbeth, Leafa, Phillia, and Sinon in the corner as they look at Kirito dancing with Asuna. Then he sees that Yu and Avery are trying to cheer the group up as I had to step in.

'Oh man. I can't help but feel bad for them. But then again, this is Kirito we're talking about.' I thought before walking to the group. "Struggling to see that Kirito is dancing with Asuna?"

"It was that obvious?" Lisbeth said full of sarcasm. "Why do we have to be the ones watching while Asuna gets the spotlight? We're equally as important."

"Not to your author apparently. That had to give you guys your own manga in order for you guys to be recognized." I said recalling Girl's Op. "But that doesn't matter. Instead of just sulking here like there's no hope, how about you go around and meet someone here. There are plenty of people here that are underage."

"Well that's a nice thought but I think I rather just stay here. Sulking by ourselves seems really good right now." Phillia said with a depressed look.

"What on earth is making you guys this depressed and sad? At least try and be happy with your lives." Avery said as Silica stands up full of motivation.

"Avery and Matthew are right! We should try and meet people here. I'm not going to sit down and wait for Kirito and Asuna to break up." Silica said as she walks to Hao which makes everyone shocked.

"Woah. Where did that come from? Silica just became confident in no time." Avery said as Yu takes a look at the food that Silica was eating. "These taste funky. What are these?"

"I don't know. I didn't make this but I remember Nexus serving it. So whatever is in it, must have made Silica so courageous." Yu states as Sinon gives it a thought.

"Could this be that one thing that was similar to the drink that Silica had back at SAO?" Sinon said as I thought deeply about it.

"You mean the one where she drank as was so ballsy to go to Asuna and Kirito during their dinner date and interrupted it. I remember that from Hollow Fragment and I was not expecting that one bit." I said as Silica looked like she was having a nice chat with the little Pokemon Trainer ripoff. "Are you sure that you guys are just going to sulk here or should I write more male OCs and let you date them?"

"NO! DO NOT DO THAT! HAVING ANOTHER HAREM AFTER DROPPING YU'S HAREM!" Avery says when she just envisioned a bunch of hot dudes that I obviously meant as a joke. I could just use people from Hakutoi or what that Idea Factory game was called with the mostly male cast. She was blushing a lot as Yu and the others just look at her before laughing. Wait what did she say?

"Wait dropping Yu's harem? What are you talking about?" I ask with a bit of confusion.

"You dropped Yu's harem with Serena, Rei, Rio, and Misaki. Now it's not a harem at all. Yu doesn't have a harem anymore. What's up with that?"

"Woah wait what? What are you talking about?" Yu shows his duel disk to reveal a message by the same person, Domo_Poro. "What the heck? This is the same kind of thing that happened with Sho. What could this mean?"

"That you aren't willing to break any poor girl's heart?" Avery says as everyone in the group started to laugh and I even managed a few chuckles myself.

"Ok. That lifted my spirits a bit. Maybe I will go see talk to some of these guys." Lisbeth said as she walks away.

"I think that I'll stay here for a bit. I'm a bit interested in this book that you have." Sinon says with a copy of Robinson Crusoe as I shrugged.

"Alright then. I'll leave you to your book." I said as I walked away to talk to other people. But she hears the knocking on the door.

(Y/N pov)

"Uh is this the place?" I asked as I look at the address to see a semi-decent house. It's a couple blocks from where I lived and apparently, it's supposed to be a party for some famous person which breaks the question, who is it? I don't know how exactly this happened though. I was at my house when suddenly I see a letter addressed to me by Histoire and the next thing that I know, I was here in front of this house as I knocked on the door. The door opens up revealing, Shino Asada also known as Sinon in Sword Art Online as she was standing in front of me. She was the general article and not someone in a cosplay,

"Excuse me? Is this the place from Histoire's letter?" I asked as I handed the letter to Sinon who reads it as a girl on a flying book looks at the letter and nods.

"Yeah. Come on in." Sinon says as I walk in. "So you're (Y/N). It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sinon. You're a fan of Matthew's fanfiction, right?"

"Matthew's fanfiction? Oh! So this is his birthday party? And I lived near him… That's pretty interesting to think about. I'm a fan of anime and such, but in terms of favorite characters in SAO, you're my favorite. It's great to finally meet you, it is an honor." I shake hands with the blue-haired neko.

"Oh really? If you know the anime and the games then-"

"I don't really care about that. You're nice to everyone and isn't that important right now. It was in the past and you did the right thing."

Sinon was taken back by that as he smiles. "Thank you for your kind words. I hope we could be friends."

"Same here!" I said as I take a look around us to see so many people from anime, games, and people that I don't recognize but they had some aspects that told me which OC they were. That's when I saw someone that stood out too much, he was too normal like me as he looks up and walks to me and Sinon.

"So Riku said that you guys were bringing an extra guest but who is this?" Matthew asks as I chuckle. He was wearing clothes that looked familiar when it hit me.

"Oh, I'm (Y/N). You must be Matthew right? I remember you when you tried to recruit me with Academic Decathlon." I asked as Matthew chuckles in embarrassment.

"Oh did I? Well thanks for coming. Why don't you guys chat for a bit as I'm still taking care of some of the people here."

"Oh sure." I say as the host leaves me behind with the blue-haired girl as a small awkward silence is in the air.

"So you like books, right Sinon? What would your favorite book have to be?"

"Hmm. I guess The Neverending Story. The one made by Michael Ende."

"Oh really? I don't recalled it being translated into Japanese. Or officially."

"No. In the future, a Japanese translation is made and I was able to read it. And the story is just so enticing."

"That's cool. I just read it for the first time and finished the other weekend. Fun fact, the movie at some point became a top 10 in terms of best film of all time."

"Oh really. That's nice to hear. Say what was your favorite part of the book?"

"Well…"

(Matthew pov)

Well that's nice that I have a reader that goes to my school. But they do look very awkward… oh. They started talking and looks like they're enjoying themselves. All I know is that I need something to drink as I go to the food table when the music in the background started to get slow, which was something that I did not like.

"Alright everyone. We're going to transition into a slow dancing. So everyone, pick a partner if you would so please." Klein called out.

'Oh great. Now everyone is pairing up with one another. And everyone is taken… Crap. Guess I'll just sit out for this one.' I tried to walk away when I hear pixels and felt a tap on the shoulder. I turned around to see that White Heart not Blanc was standing in front of me. What was interesting was that she was wearing a fullon dress that you would wear to an special event which made me a little embarrassed.

"Care for a dance? It'd look bad now if the birthday boy didn't have someone special to dance with." Blanc said with a smile. Honestly, I wasn't expecting it but I smiled. I can go for a dance.

"Sure. It'd be fun." I lay my hand out as she lays her hand on mine as we walk to the center of the dance floor. A crowd started to form around us and the next thing I hoped for, was that Nico(FRIEND. I know it's confusing because Nico from Love Live but just ignore it for now) was the best teacher in the whole world.

And Blanc and I waltzed throughout the dance floor as Klein had set a song appropriate to the dance and then I felt pain on my foot and a mutter of sorry as I looked at Blanc. She had the face of shame, guess she didn't know had to dance properly. Such a shy girl like her, must've been obvious. Being the nice gentlemen that I'm am, why not help her.

"How about I lead and you follow. That sound good?" Blanc nods.

I've been a decent dancer but my friend Nico really takes the cake. Not HH Nico but real life one. He taught me how to dance and almost all of my main character Ocs can dance except Sho, Matthew, and Yu. So leading someone was a bit hard but it was fun. One step to another as our motions still looked clean and we're starting to have fun. And then as a finally, we posed dramatically as Blanc was hanging off my back while I was leaning forward. Rounds of applause rang through the room as I raised Blanc up with a smile.

"Now remember what I taught you. Not too far or too close. Gotta find that proper footwork synchronization with your partner and have fun. That's the art of dancing."

"Got it, Matthew. Thank you for the dance."

"Oh no. It was my pleasure. Getting to dance with a girl is super rare for me and it's an extra bonus if the girl is cute.." And I politely bow before Blanc does the same. When I look up, Blanc had turned off HDD and went back to being her normal and quiet self as she smiles. 'I swear. It's illegal to be that cute and adorable.'

And the night continued. A joy of talking with others and having fun… I could go at it all night, but I hear the sound of glass clinking as everyone looks at Goro.

"Hey guys. Sorry to cut in on your guy's fun but we're going to need to go. Turns out Croire's little portal is closing in about 30 minutes and if we don't hurry then we'll never make it back to our place for how long again, Histoire?"

"Three months at least."

"Oh…" Nathan said before taking a sip… Realizing what Histoire had just said and spitted the juice out. "WHAT!?"

"Then we gotta get back!" Agil yelled as everyone started to panic but other me cut the noise.

"HEY! HEY! Everyone calm down. Here's how everything is going to work. We will be going in by the least people in the series coming here to make things easier. First will be The Human, followed by the F-Class Monster, then Nexus the Multi-Wielder, then How Muse and Aqours succeeded and then us at HyperHeart RWBY. We don't have much time so we'll need to cut our goodbyes short and get back in. But I can already tell you guys this much, this will not be our last time talking to each other. But we'll have no memories of the experience until a short amount of time."

"Alright then."

Then one by one, everyone went back into a portal into their respective stories where it was just me and my main OC's Sora, Ruby, Neptune, Blanc, and Mizore.

"Well this is it. It was one hell of a party that's for sure. Thanks you guys for everything that you've done." I say with a smile as Sho shakes his head.

"Are you kidding me? This was all you! If you hadn't made us, then we would've never done something like this. The honor goes to you of all people."

"Yeah. Sometimes you gotta take credit for the good things. I would've never have met Sora in your stories if it weren't for you and your big noggin." Ruby said.

"I would've never met a nice, quirky girl like Ruby." Sora said.

"Woah dude. That's saying more than what you're trying to let on."

"Oh sorry."

"Chill down on the compliments guys. Matthew still has his flaws and I would state them." Mizore says which brings me down. "But he's too ice of a guy. Plus he made Tristan."

"Ahh." Tristan blushes but then realizes the pun. "Mizore…"

"Oh get a room you two. This is supposed to be a sentimental goodbye to Matthew." Blanc comments.

"Sorry." Mizore runs into a portal as Tristan turns and nods before entering his portal.

"Well you created me first but I can tell that you're putting most of the work with the others. But it'll still be great what you do with me." Yu says before entering his portal.

"I'll be seeing you guys eventually so I got nothing to say. I said my bit earlier today. Next time, don't push yourself so hard. You have people that can help you." Goro walks into his portal as Yuuki can be seen waving in the distance.

"Good luck out there Matthew! It was nice meeting you!"

"So it's just us six." Neptune says as we all look at each other. "Man times really changed haven't they."

"Yeah. We were the first real thoughts that Matthew has made. It's like we're the original trio. You, Ruby, and I. The three people from three different series." Sora says.

"But I'm included in here now." Blanc says as HH Matthew agrees.

"Yeah. It means that you really stood out to author me in real life."

"And I can tell that our craziest adventures are still going to come, right Matthew?" Ruby asks as I nod with a smile.

"Just don't go too crazy. You are still me so I'll know what you're thinking." Matthew said to me as everyone one by one went into their portal before Blanc and Neptune turns around and waves with a flashy smile.

"Happy Birthday Matthew. You've done a lot today. Why not take a break?" The two quotes as in most games would do after someone plays for a long time. And with that, Neptune and Blanc entered the portal as it closed with me standing in that room by myself. The best day of my life has come to an end.

After then, I had a quiet evening when I got to my 'real' house and worked on homework. A project here, a lab there, and there was that one test tomorrow. Yep, I'm doomed. Even still, I pushed on and at 1am again with this time a cup of Earl Grey next to me as Eli said that I should drink more tea than double shot espressos which I'm enjoying and I decided to take a break and look at my stories again. I've read them and cringe and embarrassing moments. But it was still fun writing them. I would catch a few grammar errors and spelling errors but it just means that I've improved over time.

"Maybe I really should take a break. I should work on the next F-Class monster." And into the night I worked on my story.

 **Thanks you guys for taking the time, to pick up on of my bad stories but still enjoyed them. Honestly when I made fanfictions, I was afraid that no one was going to like them, I was unimaginative, and horrible at writing. But someone did pick up. Someone said, hey I liked this story and followed and favoriting it. And it didn't just start at one. It kept on going and going and going. I look at the stories that have like 400 followers and/or favorites and think that I'll never reach that far. No one will like my stories like that and if so. Those guys probably take so much time and effort into these stories that it's been going on for years. I'm late into the game but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to strive to become a good writer and now… I have a goal. A birthday wish that will hopefully, one day become true.**

 **But yeah, as you can tell from this chapter, How Muse and Aqour will NOT be continued, but instead the after story which will take place in BanG! Dream. It's a good show and I think it can serve as a final destination for Sho. The Human will NOT be going to Vrains… Sorry but I hate Master Rule 4 so much that I picked up a new card game for a good finale which is Cardfight! Vanguard. It was that or Weinz Schwartz but that can game was too complicated for me to play… What's with me and Bushiroad recently? Love Live, BanG! Dream, and now Cardfight! Vanguard! Ehh whatever. And yes, HyperHeart RWBY is being scrapped and redone because nobody actually likes it. Makes me sad but somethings have to be done.**

 **I want to write a novel, not a fanfiction. It's still in development and I'm working on it with a couple of friends. One of them is a translator as they lived in Japan for so years! But so far, it's not that big. Just 15 volumes with 5 chapters each as of right now. I'm still adding new bits here and there but I can't do that with school biting me in the ass. But that's something that I want to do with you guys and eventually, I'll reach my goal. But for now Happy Birthday me! I've turned 16 and the days are just going to get wilder. And thank you guys for following and favoriting me as I continue on writing. You guys really motivated me to keep on going. And it's late for me. It's already October 2nd where I'm at. But until next time we meet. This is NexusMC signing off. Stay classy!**

 **But I want to do something extra. Megadimension Neptunia VII had interesting extra credit voice clips so I'm going to do them. Well, not actual voice but you get the picture, right. I had a lot of fun writing these but I feel like I'm starting to spoil you guys then. But you guys are amazing so yay!**

Matthew Song

Introduction

Heyo. This is Matthew and I'm the main character of HyperHeart RWBY as well as the personified version of the author. It's amazing to meet you at last!

Birthday

Happy Birthday! A special day don't you think? I mean you are a really cool person so I got you a special gift. Hope you like it. Huh? How did I get it? By killing Heartless of course.

Christmas

Christmas is a special type of day to me. Hanging with family and friends around the fireplace sipping Hot Cocoa. These memories will always be in my heart. Oh right. Sorry for talking so much, here's your present. I know it's early but we can be a little naughty, right?

New Year's Eve

Holy cow, it's New Year's Eve already. Just thinking about it, the year just zoomed by with you as a pal. I'm in the mood for a relaxing night of comics and tea before New Year's Day.

New Year's

Happy New Year! I would say let's go to the shrine but Nathan just shot a bunch of fireworks in the air and I gotta help clean up. Why don't you go ahead, I'll catch up.

Valentine's Day

You know, Valentine's is meant for Girls giving chocolate to the boy's here and White Day is reversed but I just fell into a cooking mood. Here have some. They're platonic of course.

Rejection

It's not you it's me. Scratch that, it's a hundred percent you. Being all nice to me but being a jackass to my friends ain't going to cut. Please leave.

Other 1

Author me has been stressing out over homework, I wonder how he has the time to be writing us and such while still getting enough sleep. I feel like he's purposely not going to do well in certain classes.

Other 2

I'm getting redone is going to be a hassle. Some people might be new to the series and would question my past with Sora and the others in Kingdom Hearts, Neptune and the others in Hyperdimension Neptunia, or Ruby and the others in RWBY

Iwahashi Goro (Nexus)

Introduction

I'm Nexus or Iwahashi Goro in real life. I'm an avid gamer that likes classics and willingness to put creativity into finding exploits in games. Basically, I'm the reason games get patched at a regular basis.

Birthday

Oh dear. It's your birthday, today? Sorry I didn't get you a gift, what to do? I know. I'll bake you a cake. Will, that make it up to you? Man, you're a great person.

Christmas

Merry Christmas! Me as a Catholic celebrate Christmas as a way to celebrate the birth of Jesus and my wife is Catholic with me so it's great. And she's standing under the mistletoe, please hold my cocoa will you?

New Year's Eye

I've never really been the type to celebrate New Year's Day or Eve. I mean it's just the start of another 365 days. I would much rather play games but if you want to hang out with friends, then I'll make the exception.

New Year's Day

Happy New Years! Well, it's 12:00 am and everyone is still hyper. Might as well get some mochi out because it's going to be a long night.

Valentine's Day

Baking chocolates were the thing that got me hooked into the cooking world. Hey wanna try some out, I wanna give it to my wife and I need a taste tester.

Rejection

Get the hell out of my sight. You're not doing any good for yourself right now.

Other 1

I abuse my creativity way too much in video games. I mean Kirito would've never done Skill Connect without my ideas from SAO but he gets all the credit? Well, Ben Franklin and his son I guess.

Other 2

No matter how I think about it, I ship Klein and Lisbeth. That sounds wrong but they give off that tension and pedophilia can be a thing but just wait a year or two. Legal. Don't hate me for this.

Yu Nishikiyama

Introduction

Hey. I'm Yu Nishikiyama. I play card games for a living and now in a way of war. I heard I was going to die but until then, I'm going to live life to the fullest.

Birthday

Huh? What are you doing here? Me? Oh, nothing special. Oh, forget it. Happy Birthday! This was supposed to be a surprise, but someone had to come and spoil the fun in a surprise. Just kidding.

Christmas

Merry Christmas. I would have some Hot Cocoa with you but unfortunately, I'm lactose intolerant. But don't feel bad! I got Earl Grey as a nice substitute. Now don't open your presents yet, everybody is not here.

New Year's Eve

It's almost New Year's which mean the one-day tournament is going to be happening! You're coming too right? We gotta hurry! While everyone is watching the fireworks, we need to fill in the application. There are so little spots!

New Year's Day

As New Year's Day hits, you beat me once again. Can't believe it's been a whole year. Now all is fun, let's go to the shrine. I need to wish for a chance to beat you.

Valentine's Day

I never celebrated Valentine's day with anyone but Avery is surrounded with presents from boys and girls alike. You too? Nothing. Well, we're both Valentine's loners together then!

Rejection

To me, you're like Zone Eater… If you don't get that then you're obviously not the one for me and adieu.

Other 1:

So my harem is gone. Interesting choice of the writer, but then he said that there was going to be a sequel with Cardfight Vanguard. And I don't even know the game all that well. What? I'm not supposed to know this? Crap.

Other 2:

In terms of favorite summoning method, it has to be Synchro. When I first got into Yu-Gi-Oh, it was 5ds. It's just so much more simpler than the rest. Fusion is a card that you might get, two levels monster is easy enough but the effect can only activate with the amount of the Overlay Units, and Pendulum is just broken. Don't you think that's why I used it most of the time?

Tristan Shimano

Introduction

Hey. I'm Tristan Shimano, a monster who is half skeleton and half skeleton, pretty cool right?

Birthday

Happy Birthday! I've been planning this thing for a long time, hope you like it!

Christmas

Merry Christmas! Twas the season where thy celebrate the holidays with thou. Huh? That sounded off? Won't do that again. This season is perfect for Snow Women and me because I don't feel cold and winter.

New Year's Eve

My uncle, Goro Majima is unleashing fireworks when New Year's comes around. Let's hang around the park waiting for it.

New Year's Day

Happy New Year! Wanna have some New Year's soba before hitting the shrine? I hear that my girlfriend Mizore is volunteering at the shrine in the mountains. Hope that cold isn't too bad for you.

Valentine's Day

Oh it's Valentine's Day, right? You have your special someone, right? We're lucky really as most high school students don't have relationships like how we have it. Though Tsukune is weird on a whole different level You need to go look for them? Say hi for me then.

Rejection

I don't have time to deal with trash at the moment. My girlfriend is waiting for me you know.

Other 1

I have two ex-Yakuza's as relatives, Kazuma Kiryu, and Majima Goro. One handles real estate and one handles construction but they are still both 100% badass. Both are monsters in their fields but they're humans? It's confusing as hell.

Other 2

Dang, it! This boss is hard! Why is my dad is hard at beating? And who the hell would make mom do a genocide route!? That's just mean!

Sho Narukami

Introduction

I'm Sho Narukami, an advisor for two idol groups and a singer myself, but you know that too, right? Retired and soon will be working for a Circle, which is a Live House.

Birthday

Happy Birthday! I made a special song for you because you're such a great person. I mean you're amazing! Hope you like it!

Christmas

So it's Christmas. What a great day it is! Seriously! Santa comes to our house and brings us presents! What more can I ask for?

New Year's Eve

I'm in the mood to just relax and wind down as New Year's is coming up. But I can tell that you're yearning for some fun, so let's listen to some music.

New Year's Day

Happy New Year! I'm in the mood to sing songs on the way to the temple! Don't you think~?

Valentine's Day

I forgot what Valentine's Day was a thing until You gave me chocolates one day when I was young, but here's some chocolate. I made some for my class and had a little extra and I'm in the giving mood. Just kidding! You were going to get one anyway!

Rejection

Sorry. I'm not looking for a commitment right now. I appreciate the sentiment though.

Other 1

I have fun whenever I create songs or listening to them. It makes me want to dance, dance, dance! That's why I have DDR at my house that I play all the time. But then Eli comes and beat my high score every time.

Other 2

Retiring from singing has been a bit boring but then I have more time for my family and friends. Though that meant leaving Honoka and the others. But now the Uranohoshi closed down, I feel like I've had enough high school drama and going to live with my cousin Arisa. I visited the place so much that I made a few childhood friends there. Like Chisato, Saya, Misaki, and Lisa but I don't think they all know each other. Should be fun.

Other 1:

Canceling two series while changing one up? That's ballsy even for NexusMC. But I've foreseen his plans. And with that, everyone will know your plans.

Other 2:

On this day, starts my debut… It's interesting to say the least. I think a Christmas special is in order. With that being said, shenanigans are more to come. How will this change to my desire?


	11. The Girl in the Black Hood

"Oh, Kirito! You're so late! Come on! Get over here!" A girl with lavender hair calls out to Kirito as walks over generally surprised.

"Strea?! What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

"No, I just wanted to see you. Is that so wrong?"

"N-No, it's not wrong. It's just…"

"Come on! Hurry up and get over here!" Strea with her monster-like strength pulls Kirito over to a table.

"Whoa don't pull on me!"

Meanwhile, the others were huddled up in a corner looking at the two.

"Do you guys think it's time to discuss the elephant in the room?" Nexus said as he looked over at Kirito who was talking to Strea. To him, she was mysterious and unpredictable but she has a fondness for Kirito as he has seen the two together a couple of times now which doesn't raise some flags but not for the others.

"You mean the two elephants in the room?" Lisbeth corrects which made Nexus fall onto the floor laughing. "Oh shut up. So, who is that?"

"That's a good question…" Asuna said while thinking about it.

"You don't know her either, Asuna?" Yuuki asked as the vice-commander nods.

"No, I've seen her with Kirito before, but I don't know her."

"Her name is Strea." Nexus said as the others look at him.

"You met her before?" Sinon said as Nexus raises one finger.

"Once but that was it. She talked to me like she knew all about me and the next thing I knew, we were chatting at the local cafe. I had no idea."

"A d-date!?" Yuuki said as Nexus quickly fixed his mistake.

"Nonono. Just getting to know her. Because you guys are going to be all over her."

"She's not an NPC then? Could she be someone who's just made it up from the lower floors?" Koharu questions.

"That theory makes sense." Ren pitched in.

"But her and Kirito sure seem to be awfully friendly…" Silica adds in.

'#jealouslysquad.' Nexus thought as the group sees Strea sitting on Kirito's lap. "Uh oh."

"Who! Is she really sitting in Kirito's lap?" Leafa questions.

"Yeah what the hell?" Yuuki said as she looks at Asuna.

"Hee hee hee! They sure look like good friends." Asuna laughed while having an evil glare.

"I am liking this right now. Asuna said something innocent but she looks pissed." Nexus comments.

"Look, I'm going to have to have a word with her. There's a line, and it's been crossed." Silica exclaimed as Klein pitched in.

"What's the problem? I mean, if anyone wants to sit on my lap, you're all more than welcome." Klein comments as the group is a bit disgusted as Ren chuckles slightly.

"Dude. Stop." Ren comments. "This is not looking good on you at all."

"If you want someone to sit on your lap, get a cat," Sinon said.

"Gah! I was just kiddin'! Why'd you have to take it so seriously?"

"Ah you weren't kidding, Klein." Koharu sighs.

"Now, I'm going to get Kirito to tell me what's he doing," Lisbeth said as the group walks to Kirito and Strea leaving Nexus and Ren by themselves.

"#jealouslysquad?" Ren said as the two laughs. "But in all honesty. This is getting quite… complicated to say the least. No?"

"You're not wrong my friend. Kirito's harem of girls is growing to a number that I will never understand. He's antisocial to the max!" Nexus said.

"Yeah I saw it too but at the beginning, he was nice and all. I think he's gotten better… Uh. Why is everyone going from demanding answers to "this is awkward"?" Ren said. "Want to go check up on them?"

"Nope. I don't want to get into any drama today. I'm probably going to go to the Hollow Area. You're free to join me."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer."

Nexus the Multi-Wielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 10: The Girl in the Black Hood

"So this is the Hollow Area. Neat. But it looks like some kind of admin area with the waves of code." Ren said as Nexus nods as Philia notices the two from the Keyboard.

"Sort of. This is like the main hub of the Hollow Area and from here we can take a look of the map. I already gave a copy of the map data to Argo and I know that she'll do good work. Speaking of which. Philia. Good to see you."

"Oh um yeah. Good to see you Nexus. Who is this?" Philia asks as Ren introduces himself.

"Hi. I'm Ren. Nice to meet you, Philia." Ren bows ninety degrees as Philia flustered by the bow before doing the same. Ren sees the orange cursor as he looks at Nexus silently told him that it was ok. "This place is quite nice. How are the mobs here? Are they decently leveled compared to Aincrad?"

"Um. More even. What's the levels of mobs on Aincrad again because here we have monsters that are 114 are more." Nexus said while thinking.

"The monsters outside Arc Sophia is like 87-89. That's a 30 level difference!" Ren said with surprise. "So if the Assault Team all came here and farmed mobs, then this would make rising the floors such a breeze."

"Yeah. That's why I told a couple of KoB members about this place and let them stay here until they message for me." Nexus checks his messages to see nothing as he looks at the levels. "Level 94. A six-level increase."

"That's great. Say why don't the three of us make a party? We can go to a dungeon or something." Ren said as he opens his menu and sends a party invite to Nexus and Philia before the two accept."

"Great. Let's go." Nexus said as he goes to the computer and presses a button as the three were back in the woods once again where Nexus and Kirito met Philia. "These stone monuments allow us to teleport back to the administration area. So we'll use these later. I made some map data and pinpointed where one of these are in certain areas. They're not everywhere so don't rely on them."

"Got it," Ren said as he looked around before seeing an old temple looking area. "Do you suppose that we can go in there?"

"Haven't been in there. Might be some good loot in there." Philia said as they entered the temple where they see skeleton warriors with levels ranging from 110 to 120 area. Nexus takes out an ax while Ren takes out his sword and shield and Philia takes out her dagger. "Nexus. You'll be the tank?"

Nexus nods as he rushed in and slices an unsuspecting skeleton warrior in 10 other skeleton knights. "I got a strike! Line up again two more times! I want a turkey! Now I actually want a turkey. Wonder if there is a turkey mob in the Hollow Area… The last time I saw one of those was probably Floor 41." The necro-knight eyes glowed red as they all surrounded the ax-wielding boy. "Oh shit… I lost concentration. Do you guys mind sparing me?"

"Can you please pay attention!? This is a matter of life and death! Enough with the stupid bowling jokes!" Ren said as he activates a sword skill killing two knights with seven strikes. "Your sense of humor is seriously not funny."

"Just let him do what he wants, Ren," Philia comments as she activates a sword skill, backstabbing a knight as it explodes into pixels. "He's not hurting anyone."

"Yahoo!" Nexus spins around as he slices through the all of them before growing dizzy and falling to the ground. "Ah darn it! It looks so cool in those video games. Guess life is a bit different when you actually do it. Heheheh."

"Jeez, Louise, Nexus. You're acting like such a kid right now. How did you take care of your siblings?" Ren said like he's nagging his kid.

"Sorry… It's just that the last moments of my life and the past two years have been too serious. I've cried more times then I lifted a smile on my face. I'm giving myself a reminder of what I used to be in the real world. I won't put up a tough guy act and hide my true feelings." Nexus said as he clenches his fist with frustration. "I won't let this game change who I am anymore. So get mad at me for being a fool. It's better than lying to you all!"

"Nexus," Phillia said quietly as she nods. "I understand what you mean. Being in a desperate situation all of the time can change people, I know what you mean. What this game does to people it's-"

"It's terrifying. People that you know changes to something really scary. Hera… It was tragic. Losing people that you care deeply. Nirvana. Making deals with the devil to save those that you care for, even though that would make everyone hate you. Heathcliff. Having to fight you're best friend or death. Kirito. Nexus… I'm sorry. I was insensitive of me. I'm honestly surprised that you're standing up this strong with a smile on your face."

"It's because of you guys. My friends. You guys give me the motivation to fight and be the person who I'm supposed to be. Especially Yuuki. She's the source of my strength. She's sick in the real world and my goal in life is to help her in any way that I can. But I can't be cold because then Yuuki and everyone else won't be happy with the way I am."

"That's some life goal. Well we're going to support you all the way, right Ren?" Philia said as Ren nods. "Now. Let's go find that treasure."

"Yeah!" The guys said as the cleared the temple with relative ease, the boss protecting the treasure was turning out to be quite the struggle for everyone as the phantom knight riding on the black sword didn't pay much attention to Nexus and focused on Philia who had the lowest defense.

"This isn't good. Philia's hp is almost gone. What do we do!?" Ren says as he jumps in with his buckler taking the impact of the attack as Nexus changes into a broadsword and activates a sword skill that kills the horse but the knight still has a bar of health.

"I'm thinking that you, Ren, cover Philia as the two of you face back to back. Just in case that there might be mobs coming and the knight doesn't give any surprises. I'll take care of the knight then." Nexus takes out his rapier as he charges in activating skills that revolve around speed giving him the advantage around the heavy knight as he deals a decent amount of damage over time.

"This is taking too long. We need to help him." Philia said as she opens her inventory and takes out a healing potion before drinking it and slicing the knight from behind with a sword skill. In return, the knight attempts to slice Philia as Ren and Nexus slices the knight into four pieces as it explodes into pixels.

"Thanks for that you two." Nexus said as he sits down taking a breather as the other two does the same. Meanwhile, a black hooded girl enters the room and walks to the chest and takes the contents. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Thanks for the help handsome." The girl said as she runs off as the three run after her.

"Give that back! We fought for that!" Ren said as the group made turns chasing the girl.

"That's downright low what you did!" Philia said as the hooded girl is cornered to a wall. "We got you now! Give it up!"

"Sorry miss. But I don't think so." The hooded girl steps behind her as a trapdoor opens up under her and she falls into it as Nexus jumps in after her.

"Nexus!" Ren said as he and Philia jump in afterward. The trapdoor turned into a slide where two passages arrived as Ren and Philia took the same path as they landed outside the temple. "Huh? We're outside the temple?"

"Yeah. We are… Though it doesn't seem that they went into the other chute. We should go looking for them." Philia said as Ren shakes his head. "Why? Nexus is by himself in there with the thief!"

"Nexus may be alone, but he's strong even by himself. He was the 1MAT all those floors ago. And besides. We were chasing that cloaked girl without really knowing where we're going. It'll take too long to search for that same area, look for the switch, go through the right chute and then find Nexus. At this point. It'll just be better if we stay here and wait for him. That's the most sensible option here."

"Tsk. Damn it." Philia said as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

"Gaah!" Nexus yelled as he went down a massive slide into a hole as he launched out of a door into a cave. "Ow… That hurts a lot… Even though pain absorber is at 10… And this is just virtual reality and a virtual body."

"The Hollow Area has some kind of glitch where you'll feel all of the pain even though the pain absorption is at ten." The hooded-girl said as she takes off the hood revealing a beautiful blond girl with glowing blueish green eyes. She wore a black dresslike battle outfit with a red belt around the waist and black boots. She had a silver sword with a golden handle strapped to her back as she was examining a dagger which Nexus presumes to be what she stole from him.

Nexus stands up and takes out a his one-handle sword. "You sound like you know this place like the back of your head. Mind tell me who you are?"

"Call me Robin!" The girl said while winking as she puts on a green hat with a red feather as Nexus blinks.

"As in Robin Hood? The legendary robber of the rich and giver to the poor? From the novels that came out in the 13th-14th century. Because that hat is a really big giveaway."

"Yep that's right sweetie." Robin winks. "I steal from people of murder guilds, sell their stuff and give them to-"

"The orphanage on the first floor. The guild, the Merry Men would steal from Laughing Coffin and sell their equipment for money then donate it all to the orphanage while keeping very minimal funds where equipment upgrades. They were taken down by people from the Liberation Army. And you're the leader of the Merry Men?"

"That's right. When we got caught, The Merry Men ended up in Blacksteeple Castle where most of my guild got killed… it's obvious that when a guild that steals from murder guilds are going to get killed. I thought it would be some kind of safezone and we were safe, but there was a place that wasn't a safe zone and most of them were killed… And then." Robin hands shake as she tears up as Nexus couldn't help but comfort the girl. "Why are you helping me? I took something that was rightfully yours."

"Let me guess. You were going to sell the dagger and make a decent profit to help all of those people on Floor 1, right?" Robin nods slowly as Nexus smiles before shaking his head. "There are a couple things wrong though. Because of the glitch that brought you here, people cannot go to floors below Floor 76. So we can't give them anything."

"What? Then… I can't help them anymore..." Robin said in disbelief. "Then what can I do to be helpful? I don't know anything else."

"How about you help the Assualt Team?" Nexus proposes to Robin. "Even though giving money to the orphanage is all good, the best way to help them is to get them out of this game and let them be with their family. That's the best gift you can give them."

Monsters noises can be heard around the two as Nexus and Robin look around them to see orcs with clubs surrounding them as they stand back to back as they take out their one-handed swords.

"Well ain't this something. I count 30 of them. Mind telling me. Is this a trap for poor old me? Gotta say. I'm impressed by this."

"I don't know how this happened. This area was supposed to be a safe zone. There shouldn't be any monsters here." Robin said as they prepare to ready their blades. "Ok. I lied."

"About the monsters? I'm deeply hurt by that."

"Not that. My avatar name. It isn't Robin actually. That's just my nickname for the guild. It's actually Misaki… I might've used my real first name when making this account. It was supposed to be a fake account where I could joke around and I was going to make my real one later."

"Heh. Nice to meet ya Misaki. I'm Nexus. Welcome to the Assault Team." Nexus said as the two's swords turned blue. "Let's take them down!"

"And that's basically how we met." Nexus explains to the group as everyone stares at the blond girl.

"That is… something that I would not have expected from you, Nexus." Sinon said in disbelief. "So we're just letting an ex-bandit join the Assualt Team? Are you guys sure that this is safe?"

"I mean, what she said matches exactly from what the people on Floor 1 said. And they did confirm that Rei does, in fact, give money to the kids." Asuna explains as she goes through the message records.

"I fail to see the problem. If she's so nice, then there should be nothing wrong." Kirito said as the girls sigh in disbelief, including Ren and Nexus.

"Goro. May I see you please?" Yuuki asked as Nexus felt a chill down his spine.

"Mate. Good luck." Ren said as Yuuki and Nexus went into their room.

"So… What is it that you like to talk about?" Nexus asked as Yuuki sighs.

"You don't seem to be aware that you're becoming a lot more like Kirito you know that?" Yuuki states.

"Nonono. I laugh at him for doing ridiculous stuff like this. I wouldn't actually follow suit with him. That'll become too much of a hassle. Seriously. The guy can be dense and all which can lead to major headache and such. No way now how." Nexus states brushing it off.

"You brought another girl here…" Yuuki said. "Though it was an act of kindness, I'll allow it. It's just that I don't want another event like what's happening with Kirito where the two of us are constantly being watched by other girls when it should be the two of us."

"Don't worry Yuuki. I'm not leaving you for anyone. They're all just friends to me. So cheer up will ya?" Nexus said as Yuuki sighs before nodding. "Alright. Now let's go down shall we Mrs. Jealous Konno."

"Hey hey! I'm not jealous… Did you just say Mrs?"

"We are married after all." Nexus said as the two go back downstairs to see that Misaki was a bit friendly with Kirito as everyone was giving them two and Nexus an angry look. "Did I just add more to the headache!" ****

 **And here peop;e thought that there was going to be a love interest like with Peter Parker, MJ, and Black Cat. Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. Misaki joining the Assault Team and other such was not what I had in mind but then I thought. This might be better later on. LIKE HELLA BIG when it'll come Lost Song and other such. Because I'm going to give the girls in Kirito's harem the screen time that they deserve. And more then what they got in the games... Or I might breeze this part and where the big stuff will really happen. That's to be determined as of right now. As for the twice post per month. That's going to change because I'm writing an original story called Acadec and a xreader with Yumi from Senran Kagura and Cardfight Vanguard replacing HyperHeart RWBY. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This is NexusMC signing off! Stay Classy!**


	12. The Final Final Boss Part 1

'The helmet… comes off?' Goro hesitates as his arms were shaking and barely was able to pull the Nervegear off his head and looks around as he could tell that he was in a hospital room. 'Wow. It's been two and a half years. At this point, I never thought that this would ever happen in a million years. Is there a button? Let's call a nurse.'

Goro presses the button and waits a few seconds for the door to open revealing a man in a nurse's office. He was quite shocked when he saw Goro and looked outside the room.

"Doctor! Doctor! He's up as well!" The nurse called out as a doctor rushes in.

"Oh my goodness. Nurse. Get his family on the phone right now. And check up on his brother. He might be up as well." The doctor walks towards Goro and examines him. "How are you feeling? Alright? Anything feel wrong?"

"Well besides the extreme weakness from being in a comatose state for 2 and a half years, I think I feel fine. And can I talk to my parents on the phone? I have a few things I would like to say to them."

"Of course." The doctor leaves the room and comes back with a phone and hands it to Goro. "Here you go."

"Oh um. By the way. What room number is my brother in?" Goro asked as the doctor said 'Room 242' before stepping out. "Thank you."

"No problem. Press the button if you need someone."

"Alright, I will." Goro presses the button to his older brother's cell phone. The phone rings before a click. "Hello?"

"Goro! Oh my goodness, you're all right!" The sort of high pitched voice seemed familiar to Goro but yet sounded more mature. "Are you alright? Is Shinzo alright? You both are still alive right?"

"Wait. This voice doesn't sound like Hozumi. No way. This is-"

"It's your little sister, Akane!" That name made Goro tear up immediately and he tries to hold back from crying. "Goro? Are you ok? Are you crying?"

"I-It's fine. It's just good to hear you after so long." Goro said with a smile. "I'm going to talk to mom and dad, so I'll talk to you when you get here, alright?"

"Ok big bro! Hozumi and I are at the mall, but we're coming over now. Seeya!"

"Bye," Goro said before looking at the phone and types in the number, 110 and brings the phone to his ear. A few minutes later, Goro was put on a wheelchair and rolled into a room next door revealing Shinzo Iwahashi in the hospital bed.

The room was awkward between the two people and Goro was the one to first strike up a word.

"Akane sounds more mature now," Goro said trying to get a reaction from his brother. "Mom, Dad, Akane, and Hozumi are on their way over right now. You can't tell them what happened in SAO. Especially "

"Why not? It seems obvious that you hate me. Why do-"

"This isn't about me!" Goro yells out loud with a pissed off manner. "This is about our family. If Mom or Akane found out what you've done, they couldn't take it."

"Again. You're weak. You're thinking about others before yourself. I know that you hate me. I know that you're mad at me. So why don't you show me how you truly feel here?" Shinzo said with his usual maliciousness.

"Shut up! I'm going to be gone soon. I'm not asking but forcing you. I hold your whole life in the palm of my hands. If I so desire, the cops wouldn't mind arresting a few members of Laughing Coffin."

"You're gone!? Where the hell are you going?" Shinzo said as two police officers walk in and there were people running. "Huh? Police?"

"We received a call from someone anonymous that people working for Akihiko Kayaba is here. But it looks like it was-"

"I'm him. I work for Kayaba." Goro said making the police officers take a step back. "My name is Goro Iwahashi otherwise known as Nexus in there so arrest me. Ask anyone. Right?"

Shinzo is taken back by what was going on and slowly nods.

"Why are you giving up yourself? It makes no sense. This better not be some kind of prank, kid."

"Because I feel regret and such. Is there something wrong with that?" Goro had a smug look on his face.

"It's… Nevermind. Find. You're under arrest." The police officers put handcuffs on Goro and attach to his wheelchair and is moved outside with Akane who looks a bit older and a bit more pretty than before, his mother and father, and Hozumi.

"Goro?" The four exclaimed.

"Sorry. You'll understand this when it is all over." Goro said with a small smile. "Tell Yuuki. I'll keep my promise."

"So. Goro Iwahashi. You admitted that you work for Akihiko Kayaba. Is this true and not some kind of stunt to grab our attention? Because this is a serious topic that is taken very seriously." A detective said while drinking coffee. "Do you want something to drink? Eat? You just got out that hellhole and look like shit. We're detectives, not assholes."

"I'll take some ramen and water, please. Instant ramen is more preferable." Goro said trying to be simple.

"We have that in the station. We will have someone get it for you. Now Goro. Tell me everything. When did you start working for Kayaba, where is he, why were you in the game if you worked with Kayaba, what was his motivations, and why are you telling us this now?

The door opens up as a police officer places a bottle of water and a bowl of instant ramen in front of Goro. It was fully done and opens the lid. "This is amazing. Real life food. All right. I'll tell you everything, but trust me. This is not going to be easy to believe. And this might take a while."

"Now that we are back from recess, has the jury reached a conclusion to the fate of the defendant?" A bald man with a grey beard sits in a high chair in black robes was talking to twelve people in the courthouse. A woman stands up and looks at the judge with a straight face.

"We have your honor. After very little, debate. The jury has found the defendant, guilty."

The courthouse rang with the hollowed sounds of the gavel could be heard from the judge's seat and on the stand, Goro Iwahashi. He had a focused gaze on his face and looks around the courtroom with a small smug.

'I knew this was going to happen, but exactly like this? This is all over. I should really think how this all started.'

Nexus the Multi-Wielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 11: The Final Final Boss Part 1

[December 24th, 2024]

"Nexus! Boost me higher please!" Yuuki calls out while trying to hang up ornaments on a Christmas Tree in Agil's shop. She was in a female Santa outfit that Strea had made for the girls and Nexus, on the other hand, was breezing through helping customers of the store in a normal Santa outfit. He then dashes towards the purple-haired girl and looks up.

"You want to put the star up now? Agil said to wait until the others come. Speaking of which, where are they?" Nexus looks at the clock on the wall before hearing multiple people calling for assistance. "Oh yes! Did you need something? But before that."

Nexus kisses Yuuki on the cheek as she sees that mistletoe was above them. The boy goes back to work and Yuuki smiles. Then Agil said to the girl, "Jeez. That guy has got his work cut out for him. Christmas time and the shop is packing. To be fair, if he didn't help I would be in a whole lot of trouble. Thanks for helping with the decorations Yuuki. It's a big help to me."

"No problem Agil." Yuuki places the star she was holding on the counter. "But you're having the shop closed for the party right?"

"Of course of course. You guys worked hard, and you guys get your overtime payment." The two look at Nexus who was happily serving people. "You know, he's some kind of natural when it comes to this."

"He did work at his parent's family restaurant. You should see his cooking in real life. It's amazing." Yuuki's eyes glowed with passion letting Agil laugh while helping out a customer. Then Kirito walked in the shop with all of the girls and Klein.

"We're back! And we brought a lot of cooking materials to work with!" Kirito yelled in excitement.

"Oi oi. Kirito. Be patient. The shop isn't closed up for another half hour. Since you're here, why don't you help out? I don't want Nexus to work by himself."

"Sure. That seems like fun." Silica said remembering the time she worked as a maid and serving others. It was the same, except the maid part. She puts on an apron and gets straight to work.

"Woah. She seems really enthusiastic about this." Sinon said with a bit of shock. "And she's surprisingly good at it. Where do you think she got that from?"

"I have no idea." Kirito lied which all of the other girls could tell but decided to hold back from it for now. "But shouldn't we help them?"

"Yeah. It is the Christmas time after all!" Koharu pops up with Ren and sees that they were holding presents. "This is going to be fun!"

"Sorry, we were late. As you can see, we kinda got busy with last minute shopping." Ren tosses a box towards Kirito. "But I can assure you guys that we did find good stuff for everyone and not just cheap knockoffs that Agil said."

"You do realize that I am right here, right?" Agil states blatantly making everyone laugh.

"Last minute shopping? We picked up our gifts before we went out to get food and we were able to get some S-Class ingredients with Philia's help." Asuna had a smile on her face while her friend from the Hollow Area gave a nervous chuckle.

"I'm not that good Asuna. Plus Leafa was the one that really got it. I just showed you guys the perfect place to find the mobs. Misaki and I found it together." Philia said while the other remembers the day.

"Yeah. We were exploring with Kirito and came across the area last week. The mobs were decently high and a good number of them." Misaki looks through the maps.

"You know reminiscing is nice and all but a little help would be great!" Nexus carries three plates on each arm and one on his head as he struggles to balance all of them at the same time and almost bumps into Lisbeth. "Sorry Lis. Mind not standing there? It's going to be a problem coming here… Here you go!"

"Excuse me. Can we have water?" One person said.

"Right away miss. Just give me a second."

"Excuse me. This isn't what we ordered."

"So sorry sir! I have your order right here!" Nexus fixes his mistake and takes care of everything that he has been asked before almost tripping and Sinon catches him. "Oh, thanks…"

"No problem. We'll take it from here so go rest up until closing. You got your gifts right?" Sinon asks as the others start helping around the shop.

"Oh, that's right! I need to get one more present!"

"Well then hurry!" Sinon pushes Nexus towards the door.

"Right! Thanks Sinon!" Nexus dashes through the marketing district and reaches a shop. "Leo! I'm not late am I!?"

The shopkeeper, Leo turns around with a smile. Leo is a shopkeeper that normally works on Floor 1, but came to Floor 76 on accident while trying to see if there were new materials for his shop but couldn't return back to his room so he had to make do what he had to work with on the Floor and Nexus was one of the people to help him out. "Nope. Right on time! I get the rings exactly how you wanted them."

Leo places the box neatly gift-wrapped on the counter and Nexus couldn't help but smile. "Thanks. Leo. I wanted it to be special, especially after just clearing Floor 80."

"So it's for Yuuki? But that looks like a friendship ring. You're not thinking of doing anything like that to her, are you?"

"W-What? No. Are you insane!? This… This is just a memoir of the two of us in the real world. Who knows how long it'll take for the Assault Team to reach Floor 100. Guess I just got to remember the things that still make me happy."

"Woah. That was surprisingly deep for someone like you." Leo said with a shocked face before getting punched in the face. "Ow… But yeah. It's sweet of you Nexus. Anyways, I hope that you have fun under the mistletoe!"

"I will thank you. At least I have someone unlike you." Nexus walks out of the shop as Leo groaned.

"You didn't have to rub it in like that." Leo had a sigh before looking at the counter to see a bracelet inside and a note that really spoke to him on a personal level. "Thanks, mate. I needed this."

Nexus walks through Arc Sophia and happens to see quite the number of couples around him and a few stragglers trying to get a date and obviously failing. Seeing that he had some time, he decided to save a few girls from a couple of dude harassing them and had to do a duel against all of them just to suppress them.

"Thank you Nexus! You really saved us." A girl from KoB said with a smile. "I know. How about-huh?"

Nexus raised his hand to stop the girls. "It's fine. I just did it without expecting anything in return. Just wanted to make sure that everyone was fine and comfortable during Christmas time. Speaking of which, I need to go. Seeya."

Nexus heads back into Agil's shop to see that all the customers had left and Asuna was making food for the party.

"Hey, what happened!? You took your sweet time… Why is your health down?" Yuuki asked with a look of concern.

"Had to save some people from being harassed and got challenged to a duel. I'm good, but not that good. Don't worry about me, honey. Now I'm going to help Asuna out with the duel. Then after we eat, the Christmas games can begin." Nexus walked into the kitchen with a health potion in his mouth and finishes the contents before starting working on making the appetizers with Koharu and Asuna. "Now that I think of it. The three of us kinda do make good housewives… househusband. We really do fine great joy of cooking for the others."

"Well yeah. It's fun to cook knowing that everyone is going to enjoy the food." Asuna flavors the meat. "But if only cooking in Aincrad was how it was in real life. The proper steps and all that. It doesn't have its full charm."

"Yeah. I know exactly how you feel. It could be improved on, but who can we talk to." Koharu and Asuna look at Nexus who was frying a good amount of rice.

"I don't have that much admin powers that I can literally change the whole system. If I did, we could've have been out of here a month ago."

"True true. Oh well. Nothing we can do about it."

"Man. Those three are sure taking their time! I'm hungry. When can we eat!?" Klein complained as the others just stared at him.

"Dude. You have like no class. Chill and just relax. We can be a bit patient while we wait right? If it is going to take this long, then I think it'll be worth the wait." Ren said while taking up a bishop piece and taking a knight that Sinon had. "Check."

"Ren, Nexus, and Agil are really the only ones that have common decency. Though Nexus is a bit… debatable." Leafa states while watching the game. "And I still don't understand how this game works!"

"Chess is a complicated game that takes a long time to master. You really got to think about how your opponent thinks and the choices like he makes." Sinon explains as she changes her pawn into a queen. "And it also has to do with outmaneuvering your opponent like so. Checkmate."

"Wait. What. WHAT!?"

"Sounds like you guys are having fun," Misaki states as she sees Yuuki sleeping on the couch next to Silica and Kirito with Pina on her lap. "Now isn't that cute. If we're to do this and that. All done."

"Real mature Misaki. Real mature." Lisbeth said before taking out an item herself. "Luckily this is hilarious. Ah. Pranks like these are always fun to pull."

"Pranks? What types of pranks are you two on about?" Nexus puts the food on a combined dining table and takes a meatball and eats it before speaking again. "What are you guys on about?"

"Oh my goodness. Come take a look at this." Philia tries her best not to laugh at the sight of Kirito and the others and when the others looked they couldn't help but laugh making the four wake up.

"H-huh? What's so funny?" Kirito mutters out while rubbing his eye. "What are you all laughing at? Huh? Silica? Yuuki? Your faces!"

"Huh? It's the same for you! There's marker drawn on your face! All three of us?" Everyone laughs even harder before the three starts to laugh with them as well.

'I'm glad that I met everyone here. I thought that this game would bring me nothing but sorrow all of those years ago. But now. I feel like this. This is something I can't live without.

Outside the shop, a hooded figure stares at the store, almost thinking about whether to go in but decides against it and leaves the area. A small fairy-like sits on the figure's shoulder.

"You finally make it back and yet you don't even try to go in? What was the point of all that then!?" The fairy yells as the figure stares back at the shop and then towards the fairy.

"There is a time for all things, but now is not one of them. If we were to do things right, we need to be patient and get stronger. They just finished off Floor 80. Which means that all of the treasures of Floor 81 is ripe for my picking. All of the grind spots, the loot, it's perfect to be ahead of the others."

"Well what about Christmas? Don't you have any thoughts on that?" The fairy asked.

"If I cared about Christmas, I would've said something about it. Don't be stupid. Sentimental stuff like that doesn't matter in this world. All that matters is that this game is cleared as quickly as possible. There are no need for stupid delays that can hinder my progress." The figure makes it to the Teleport Gate. "Teleport."

(Floor 1)

A blond man in silver armor and a grey sword appears in the Town of Beginnings and looks around before having an evil smirk on his face and opens his menu which seemed to be more complex than the standard menu that a normal player and the level for the man went from 1 to 147. "I will be the ultimate god of this world. Kayaba gets all the credit for all of my hard work but guess what!? Now you're dead! And you're paying the consequences. And I will make sure that this game will not be cleared! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

(Floor 76)

"HASHIRE SORI YO! KAZE NO YOU NI! TSUKIMIHARA WO! PADORU PADORU!" Nexus wobbles while drinking from his mug before falling to the ground with hiccups. Everyone looks at Nexus then back at Klein holding a bowl of eggnog with a casual smile.

"Dude, that was one cup. You didn't put any alcohol in the eggnog, did you? Almost everyone here is underaged." Agil said before taking a cup and slowly hesitates. "If I may ask, what did you put in it?"

"I didn't put anything in here. I made sure of that." Klein puts the bowl down and gets a cup. The two men drink it before realizing what it was immediately. "B-Bacchus."

"Bacchus juice!?" Kirito exclaims before looking at the contents.

"Ok. Whoever spiked the punch, raise your hands. This is funny and all, but we don't want everyone to be intoxicated." Philia looks around to see that Strea had a small smile on her face. "Strea? Were you the one who spiked it?"

"Me? I have no idea what you're talking about." Strea tried to play innocent but it was a bit obvious that she was the one to do it and Nexus stood up.

"What on earth happened to me!?" Everyone jumps before turning towards Nexus as he grabs his head. "My head… It's banging. What on earth was in the nog?"

"Nexus. Are you ok? You drank eggnog spiked with Bacchus Juice. You sure that you're not feeling anything, weird?" Asuna asked seeing that Nexus shakes his head. "The effects of the Bacchus Juice wasn't that long. How much of a concentration was put into it?"

"I only put in like half a cup into the drink. It's not enough for anything longstanding but a good 20 seconds of fun. Kirito gave me a chance to make a game so we have to drink and then the funniest one gets a prize."

"Is it a hug because I am so not prepared for that," Yuuki said getting a bit nervous. "But this seems fun. All right. I want a cup!"

"Wait. Who's going to judge then?" Lisbeth asked. "No way Strea is going to be one of them. She'll just pick Kirito in a heartbeat."

"I think Yui would be good. Don't want the kid of all people to be intoxicated, right?" Sinon looked at the child and the others agreed. "And I think that the guys that already drank it should judge. That way it won't get repetitive and it can be a group decision."

"All right. Then the four of us it is. Let's see what you got!" Nexus had the biggest smile on his face before drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

 **Well, I totally went against my new rule of only two stories per month. I haven't even worked on the story for Tristan and the others yet. I really need to shape my priorties. But when someone has good ideas, best to lay them all down as soon as possible.**

 **Hey guys, NexusMC here to say Merry Christmas! Well, it's not Christmas yet but you get the drift! While that's also that, I'm done with Finals so that means that I am finally free to write these stories more! It feels so good to be here, you guys honestly had no idea. So three ideas came up to me. Trial, Hollow, and Stress. The first two were a bit obvious, with the 'Guilty' (Phoenix you had one job) and Hollow Fragment. Stress will be understandable later on, but if you guys predict it, go ahead and comment it down. Want to see if anyone actually pays attention to these things.**

 **So today was supposed to be just a Christmas special but I had it as a stepping stone for a 5 part area and then we're done with Hollow Fragment. What in hell am I doing? I am so many stuff to write but then it came to just five chapters! What is this. But I guess I could had put more if I didn't spend all of Monday, Tuesday, and Today watching the Kingdom Hearts 3 Final Battle Trailer over and over again.**

 **I loved this series with all of my heart and even though there were some ups and downs, I perserved and made something that I can be proud of and something that some people can read and enjoy. Or have fun laughing at. With this being said, 2018 has been fun! Hope that you guys enjoy and see you next month/year. This is NexusMC signing off! Stay Classy!**


	13. The Final Final Boss Part 2

"That sounds like quite the tale you got there, Goro. But how did you know about everything else that you weren't there for? Sugou being there or your brother's plans." The detective asked with interest in the boy's story. Goro was finishing up his bowl ramen and wiped his mouth before answering.

"Kayaba showed me through video. Though it seemed far-fetched in the beginning, it made a whole lot of sense as all the pieces came into place." Goro said before cleaning the soup base on the table with a napkin and putting it in the bowl. Goro receives a look from the detective. "What? Never seen a criminal be neat before? That's sad really. Really really sad."

"Alright… So I have a question for you. If you believe that this Sugou Nobuyuki is actually the one who trapped everyone in the game, then where is your proof? Unless you present something, we can't do anything." The detective's claim made Goro smile as he twiddles his fingers around. "Oh? That face looks like you have something. Would you mind enlightening me?"

"Alright. Games have something called NPCs or non-playable characters that are programmed by the system. In SAO, every NPC in the game has artificial intelligence that reacts to the player's interaction with them. While most are controlled by the system, two NPCs went against the coding of the system and just so happened that my friend Kazuto Kirigaya has possession of both of them. Find him and look through his Nervegear via connection to a computer. However only copy the files and we could look at the memory there… Also, do the same with my Nervegear." Goro instructed very carefully as the detective writes all of it down and the notes were inspected by Goro and approved. "Good. That should be everything. But I got to admit. You're actually listening to anything. Why is that?"

"That's because you got that look, kid. The face that your telling the truth. I'm going with my gut in this. And my gut is telling me that you're innocent in all of this, one way or another." The detective said as he stands up. "In a few, you'll be taken to a holding cell. There, you will soon be able to meet with the lawyer that your family has given to you. If not, then we will provide you with one."

The detective was about to leave through the door about Goro stopped him with a question. "If I may ask, what is your name? I should at least know it after all that you're doing for me."

"Me? I'm Date Makoto. Nice to meet you, Goro Iwahashi." Date leaves the room and after a short few minutes, Goro is taken to a holding cell where he had no idea how long he waited so he fell asleep. It must have been a long time as when he was woken up by a guard, Goro was extra drowsy and had a hard time moving. He was taken to the visiting lounge via wheel chair. He looks down before picking up the phone and putting it next to his ear. "Hello?"

"I have so many things that I want to tell you at this moment. I don't even know where to begin." The voice sounded familiar to Goro, of course, it was. How could he forget that voice and it made him smile.

Nexus the Multiwielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 12: The Final Final Boss Part 2

"Doesn't he see the least bit odd?" Nexus asked with a frown while looking at a duel taking place. He couldn't even call it a duel as it was so one-sided. "How on earth did he get this good of equipment without being decent in the game. And even if he paid off high leveled people, where did he get the col for it nor why didn't the people just keep it for themselves if it is that good."

"You noticed that too? It's… off." Yuuki agreed. "It's almost like he's a complete noob and never played before. Do you think that he just got lucky and is farming from other players? That would make sense for his high level."

"Highly doubt it. He isn't in a guild so he must have gone solo. Is he going easy on Kirito for whatever reason? Which is really dumb because Kirito is the strongest one in this game. In any case, this Alberich person is suspicious and shouldn't be in the front-lines…" Nexus thinks it a bit more. Nexus runs off and sees the exact person that he was looking for. "Strea! Just the girl that I was looking for! Mind helping me with a little something? You can say no if you want to."

"What is it Nexus? Is it something that I can only do?" Strea asked with a confused glance but she was excited to be able to help. "What is it that you need me to do?"

"Well you're the only one that I can trust when it comes to stalking people. Since you're so good at it, I think it would be best if you help me with following this one guy. He's too strong for his skill level and he's kind of suspicious. Can I trust you on this?" Nexus asks before being hugged to death by Strea and he was having a hard time moving. 'Holy cow how big are these things!? Who can breathe with these in their face?'

"Alright Nexus! I won't let you down. I'm just so glad that you trust me with this kind of thing!" Strea said with a smile. She continues to hug Nexus for a good solid ten minutes before letting go and running off. "I'm off now! I won't let you down."

"Eugh… My head." Nexus said waving before falling to the ground. He looks up to see the sun in the face before two heads covering it. "Ehh… Who is it?"

"It's Lis and your wife. What are you doing on the floor?" Lisbeth asked with a look. "You fell asleep on the floor or something? You're lazier then Kirito."

"Ehh. I like Nexus when he's a bit lazy sometimes. We just sit around near the waterfall and just eat and relax with a nap." Yuuki said with a smile. "We just went last Saturday. It was so much fun."

"Wow. That sounds like the perfect date." Lisbeth said with a hint of jealousy and tries to hide it which ultimately fails. "So why are you on the floor? Ya trip or something?"

"No… Just recovering. I had a Strea ordeal." The two immediately know what Nexus was talking about and nods.

"Oh boy. I'll help you." Yuuki said extending her hand to her husband who gladly accepts it. "So. I'm going to guess that you asked Strea to help you with following Alberich, right? Alright. Let's go talk with the others. This is something that we need to discuss."

The three head back to Agil's shop and as they thought. It was indeed strange for someone with Alberich's skill to be so highly leveled and having the best equipment. But they couldn't really come up with any solid facts nor theories that hold water properly and the group broke off when Nexus said that he sent Strea to follow Alberich in case of anything suspicious.

It wasn't long before an incident occured revolving him and another hooded figure trying to stab a player with a mysterious dagger. Nexus and Sinon were able to restrain Alberich but both he and the hooded figure managed to escape. This confirmed something with Nexus about Alberich that there was more to it then it seems but until he gets anymore information, he has nothing real to go on. With the hooded figure on the other hand was a mystery.

* * *

(May 25, 2025)

Again not long after that, Nexus was challenged to a duel not long after the clearing of Floor 93. The person was hooded as well but it was a different person because it was a female compared to the other figure but still and she did take off her hood for the fight. She was asking to join the Assault Team and Asuna recommended that Nexus was the one to be the tester.

"Alright. We'll be dueling and if at anytime that you want to stop, you can yield. The match will end if either one of our hp reaches red or someone yields. Is that understood?" Nexus calls out as the girl across from him nodded. He opens up his menu and goes to the duel section and looks at his soon to be opponent. "Re=L" was her name and Nexus sents the duel request before taking out his trusty neon-green sword. Re=L accepts the request and takes out her broadsword.

The clock was ticking down from sixty to zero as a huge group of people had come to watch the fight. For some reason, it was popular and news spread quickly. Nexus takes a look around before thinking 'Whatever. This won't matter much. Just ignore the crowds like you did during the performances.' Nexus thought before examining his opponent. 'Ok. Broadsword which lead to two things. A defensive tank or a strong sweeper. Either can be dangerous and I need to be careful.'

The timer went to zero and the duel began. Either person didn't move an inch as they tried to think how the other person would react. They slowly sidestepped to the right in complete unison not giving an inch of weakness nor did each drop their guard. Someone from the bleachers had a bag of popcorn and was cheering before suddenly dropping his snack and it slowly fell to the ground. When it finally land, was the signal for the two to dash to each other and clash blades. Sparks flew when the two blades met each other.

Nexus was swinging his sword in all different directions to try to determine Re=L's reaction speed. Each blow was blocked with either the blade or the guard of the broadsword. Despite the size of the sword, Re=L had no trouble keeping up with Nexus and pushed through while he was mid-swing and he was launched back. He was separated from his sword and fell onto the floor and tried to reach for it, but Re=L's speed overcame him as she stepped on his sword and aimed the broadsword at his neck.

'So… She's extremely fast for a broadsword wielder which means that either she chose armor that didn't have that much defense or the broadsword is lighter then it seems and has less power. In any case, it's too early to yield. I just need to touch my sword.' Nexus thought as reached with his foot and felt the blade slowly going into his neck and his health dropping. He felt something on the tip of his foot and smiled. The sword disappeared under Re=L's foot and she lost balance for a brief moment but it was brief enough for Nexus to switch weapons and take out his spear. Nexus swings it around and smacks Re=L's chest area knocking her to the ground. She tried to move only for a foot to be on her arm and the other on her stomach and a spear aimed at her head. "Checkmate."

"It's not over yet Nexus. It's just begun." Re=L comments as she used her free hand to yank Nexus's leg causing him to fall on her and the two used their weapons to try to aim at each other. "This is quite the stalemate don't you think? What do you say? Want to keep going or do you yield? My health is still green while yours is yellow."

"I say we keep on going. Your skills are exceptional." Nexus finds stability enough to jump back and switches out to his broadsword. He grips it ferociously and people can see the excitement on his face. In the stands, Yuuki was sitting down next to Asuna… Well not sitting down because she had so much excitement in her eyes. She wanted to fight but was put back for next time when a new recruit came.

The two fighters were almost evenly matched with Nexus having more skills then Re=L who had a higher level or items from what Kirito could tell. He was inspecting which was had was better but he felt like something was off but couldn't put his finger in it.

Neither player has yet to use a sword skill but both people were in the orange. Any damage that the other person dealt to each other would've pushed it to the red, finishing the match. Virtual sweat was falling down each other's forehead and the two got into the stance for a final strike. Both Re=L and Nexus activated a sword skill and rushed for each other. Re=L was the first to make it and was ready to strike but her stance made it a bit longer the Nexus, however it looked like she was going to win. The crowd was excited, Re=L smiled in victory before Nexus let's go of his blade letting the momentum go towards Re=L's side dropping her health to red and the match ends.

Everyone was indeed shocked at what happened before someone in the crowd started to clap. Then one by one, everyone joined him in clapping. The two fighters were indeed out of breath and tired and looked at each other. There was some kind of connection and the two laughed.

One person in the crowd had a hood covering his face. He smiled while looking at the scene and a tear fell from his face. He wiped it before running away,

Re=L was allowed into the front lines and with her support, the Assault Team made it all the way through Floor 99…

* * *

(July 14, 2025)

"Vice commander." Goro looks up to see Asuna on the other side of the glass. She was with a man in a black suit which led to two things and Goro only thought that one of the options was perfectly logical. "Holy cow you're rich aren't you?"

"Is that what you should be saying right now? As soon as I saw it on the news, I knew that something was wrong." Asuna said with a disappointed look. She looked skinnier and you can tell that she hasn't been out long. "So what on earth are you doing?"

"Um. That is a really good question." Goro said thinking about it. "And it's to get Sugou shut down. But in order to do that, I need proof. I need people that will actually believe me while also telling the truth. But what about you? You shouldn't be out of the hospital already."

"You're one to talk! Prison!? What on earth did Yuuki say when you went on this trip!?" Asuna yells out only to see that Goro was trying to think of a way to play it off. "Oh my god. You didn't tell her. Did you tell anyone?"

"I told Hera. That's a start right?"

"After everything that he's done. Do you really expect him to just cave in and tell your family everything?" Asuna said with a sigh. "I know that he's your brother and you hated to fight him. But…"

"That doesn't change what he did. What he chose to do… I'm not going to forgive him. I can't… But I don't want that to disrupt the family. I don't want it to just break apart." Goro grips the phone with his fist. It wasn't strong at all but it was clear that he was breaking down from the frustration of his predicament. "One at a time. First, we have to deal with Sugou. I have no idea how long that's going to take. I just hope that it's enough to keep him in the can for a while. If not, then this is all for nothing. I don't want to be trapped again. I want to be with everyone. Being happy like before."

Goro was tearing up as he a sign of doubt on his face. He was starting to think that all hope was lost and Asuna could tell as she tried what she could do. "Nexus. I have a feeling that this will all go well. We just gotta have faith in Yui and Strea. They'll pull through for us. So Nexus ju-"

"Don't call me that." Asuna was taken back only to see a smile on Goro's face. "We are in real life. I'm Goro Iwahashi. And you?"

"Asuna. Asuna Yuuki." Goro gave the girl a deadpanned look. "What? You kinda have the same look that Kirito… Kazuto gave me when I told him my name."

"It's basically giving out your personal information in a game. Sure it's a name but even still. That can lead to a whole lot of controversy… Just worried for your own sake, Asuna." Goro said trying to hold it in before laughing. "Guess even you can be a little dorky, huh Asuna?"

"Hey! Who are you calling dorky? Yuuki did the same as well! And Misaki." Asuna said in response before also laughing with Goro. She takes out a laptop that comes with a camera. "That reminds me. A certain someone would like to talk to you."

"Huh? Who would that be?" Goro asks only to see a lot of familiar people. They looked a bit different but they were easily recognizable. "Everyone!"

"Hey Nexus!" They all said. Everyone was in a video chat, it was the gang from SAO and everyone was in it. Goro smiles as he looked at everyone.

"Hey, guys! Also, it's Goro Iwahashi. Better time than never to say our names right? I'm sorry for being a moron. "

"Don't be like that Nexus. Keiko Ayano." Keiko said in her usual soft and quiet voice. "You were doing what you think was best for everyone. We're going to support you!"

"You got that right! You're not in this alone! Ryoutarou Tsuboi." Ryoutarou said in his ferocious tone. He resembled Klein and you can tell what a guy he is immediately from the way that he acts.. "You just got to believe that everything will go well! Yui and Strea got this so don't worry about it. You and Yuuki are going to be fine after this."

"Nice name, Ryoutarou. Rika Shinozaki." Rika was obviously mocking at the mouthful of a name that Ryoutarou had. She resembled Lisbeth and her fiery antics. "Anyway. Don't stress it. You'll be fine."

"Not exactly reassuring, Rika. Ayuko Tachibana." Ayuko said with a smile. She resembled Koharu and had that same feeling of being a mother or an older sister figure. "I figured that you would do something like this. You and Kirito are always reckless, I swear."

"But that's why we love him so much Ayuko. Yuto Watanabe. This is my sis, Rinko." Yuto waved with his long-haired sister. Yuto resembled Ren and had a sense of matureness in his face. "You, my friend are the sneakiest person I have ever met but that just puts my faith in you."

"Plus if you weren't around, then who on earth would I talk to when I eat at the diner? Shino Asada. You should already know me." Shino said with a straight face, yet a small grin was on it. She resembled Sinon, the cool-headed and smart archer. "It would be a waste if you went and became a prison chef… Well they would get good food."

"Shino. That's not what you should be thinking about right now. Kotone Takemiya." Kotone had a smile on her face. She resembled Philia with a more darker hairstyle and her positivity. "We're all giving motivation to Goro right now… Though you got to really think about it. How good is his food?"

"Good enough to ask him to work at the bar. Andrew Gilbert Mills." Andrew had his hand on his chin and he thought hard about it. Andrew resembled Agil, the smart storekeeper who tried to gain any pluses as possible. "Me and the lady could use a little help if you're not busy at your family diner. When you're free and all."

"I see Andrew is still doing his best to rip you off? Misaki Saito." Misaki introduced herself with a mocking smile. She resembled Misaki (how surprising) and was quick-witted as usual. "No… Ripped off is not the proper way of saying it. I guess trying to get more ways to have less work with still more profit."

"This went way off track, I swear you guys. Suguha Kirigaya." Suguha sighed at how the others were acting. She did not resemble Leafa as they looked completely different but the two were classmates so it was obvious to recognize her. "Just to let you know, Goro. I'm a year ahead of you now. But I did miss you helping me when I had to go to Kendo. Maybe you can skip a year once you get out."

"I'm not sure about that, Sugu. Goro's smart but skipping a whole grade level is pushing it. Kazuto Kirigaya." The edgy harem leader said with a smile. He resembled Kirito and his edginess with his hair and such. "I just got a phone call talking about people coming over to check my Nervegear. Does that have anything to do with you?"

"Yeah, that has me written all over it. I told the detective who was interrogating me, Makoto Date about the stuff that Strea and Yui had. I gave him specific instructions so nothing will come of the two…" Goro looks at the last person in a hospital bed. She had short hair that barely covered her ears and she looked more pale and weak than the others. "Yuuki. Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"R-Right! I'm Yuuki Konno!" Yuuki introduced herself with her normal smile. She didn't resemble her SAO self in terms of looks but it was the same giddy girl that Goro fell in love with. "If they're coming to find the information then we're all good! This is a victory for everyone!"

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered before the bell rang.

"Yo! What's with the sound?" Ryoutarou asked as the guard behind Goro walked towards the two.

"Your visiting time is up, I'm afraid to say," Guard said with a frown looking at Goro who was talking with his friends before giving some news. "We'll be placing you in the hospital wing where we'll have a proper doctor come to help you. During the duration of the investigation, we will be helping you recover until the trial starts which may take many weeks."

"Oh really. Well at least I'll be fine while I'm here. Seeya guys." Goro puts the phone back on the wall and is wheel away but not before one last look to see everyone smiling at him.

 **With this, two more chapters before the season finale of Nexus the Multi-Wielder. But this isn't the end as we still have a crap ton of content left to go over.** **You know, the final battle isn't going to be as climatic as I planned it to be. The final thing should be out in March if possible but seeing how it's going, I have no idea what the results are going to be.**

 **Hey guys, NexusMC here and I'm coming at you with some things that I would like to say. While it looks like the next chapter will wrap up the Aincrad saga, you're in for a shock because I still have a bunch of twists and turns ready for you guys so strap up and get ready for the roller coaster. But on the other note, like what I said above, it won't be as climatic as people are going to expect in a final battle. But still nonetheless, it is going to be different then what you think  
**

 **With that being said, it's going to get hard when it comes to writing these chapters as school is starting up again and I got to make sure that I don't fail class again. Whoop de do.**

 **This is NexusMC signing off for the day and happy New Year you guys. Hope 2019 will be another fun journey with all of you because I can tell. It's going to be fun. Stay Classy.  
**


	14. The Final Final Boss Part 3

"You're really mad at me. I can tell." Goro comments while on the call with Yuuki. "But you have got to admit that we can't take Sugou down without me telling them everything, right?"

"I know but c'mon, seriously? You didn't even give me a heads up or anything like that before. You could've at least said something about it. I wouldn't be this worried for you, otherwise." Yuuki said on the other side of the phone. "But I've been meaning to ask. I heard that you and Shinzo yelled at each other. What was the reason for it?"

"To throw off the cops… well not throw them off, but to piss Shinzo off enough that it looked like we were fighting each other. And it worked pretty dang well. Almost everything is set in motion. So it's ok!" Goro said with a smile. "Hey Yuuki."

"Yes Goro?"

"I love you. I want you to be there at the trial. If my whole life is going to be at stake, then I want the one person that I care about the most to be with me to the very end… This is selfish of me and all but"

"Of course I'll be there, you dummy." Yuuki said with a smile. "I was going to go even if you didn't want me there! So chin up, because this girl is coming."

"I forgot who I was talking to you."

"Goro."

"Yes Yuuki."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Date. Would you mind coming over here real quick?" Date was called over to a computer monitor. "I finally pulled out the info you were asking for in the game's code. It was complex and such but I finally was able to pull out everything. I have a video file for you."

"Alright let's see it. Pull it up." Date said before the file called 'Mental Health - Counseling Program 2.'

* * *

(2 months later)

Goro after two months of Physical Therapy has finally been able to walk properly. He had taken a shower as best as he could, put on a suit and tie, and was put in handcuffs before being moved from the prison to the courthouse in prisoner escort. He was in one of five armored trucks followed by a police squadron. In front of Goro was Date and two police officers wearing swat armor and had semi-automatic rifles.

"So you finally got that video and given it to the prosecutor. What did she think about it?" Goro asked receiving a smile from Date. "So I guess that she loved it?"

"That and the massive amounts of witness testimony that she got from the… Assault Team. She says that she has a solid case against Sugou. You're the final key to placing it all together. This is why you're here right now, for your protection." Date explains.

"Thank you Date. It really means a -" A crash could be heard from outside and the car stops immediately. Goro's whole body shifted forwards then backwards. It sounded like an explosion and the next thing that Goro could hear, was gun fire. "W-What's going on!?"

"Shit. People are here to kill you. We got to move!" Date said taking out his revolver and keys and undoing the chains that binded Goro. "Can you run?"

"Yeah I can run. My endurance isn't exactly good though." Goro said behind the door.

"Good enough. In the count of three, we'll open the doors and make a break for the nearest alleyway." Date looks over the window as it was one-sided. There were many masked people having a shootout with cops. "Shit. This is bad. Alright on the count of three. One… two… three!"

The doors opened and a gunshot could be heard that echoed into Goro's ears.

Nexus the Multi-Wielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 13: The Final Final Boss Part 3

"Last strike!" Kirito calls out before slicing an X with his two swords at Floor 98 boss. It exploded into pixels and the Congratulations screen could be read. Kirito who was the MVP of this match was wheezing and panting for fighting such a tough boss.

"Phew! Kirito, good job." Asuna said with a smile.

"You too, Asuna. Now we've cleared the 98th floor." Kirito said in response.

"That fight really put out everything from us. I'm exhausted." Nexus was on the floor relaxing next to Ren and Yuuki.

"Oh my god. That boss had so much health, it's crazy. We kept on swinging and swinging and it just wouldn't die." Yuuki complained.

"Well goodie for us that we finally won. Now we can relax and move on to Floor 99." Ren said before hearing walking coming from the entrance.

"No, no, no… You haven't cleared it quite yet." The voice was familiar and everyone looked to see the man himself, Alberich. He was with the same hooded figure as before. "Well, hello there, Kirito. You certainly look healthy."

"You're…" Asuna started.

"Alberich!?" Kirito exclaims in quite the shock.

"Kirito… You've got some nerve interfering with my research. What am I ever going to do with you? Those research results you've destroyed… Kirito, my boy, do you have any idea of the greatness of that research?! Do you?!"

"Kidnapping players and experimenting on them!? What on earth is so great about that!?" Nexus yells up standing up and readies for combat.

"Nexus. Do you think I'm going to let my plans for world domination get foiled by your kind of soft-hearted idiocy? You all are simply aggravating!" Alberich said a bit pissed off. "Allow me to explain the greatness of my research in a way that you could understand… Humans possess all sorts of emotions, do they not? Sometimes they feel happiness, sometimes they feel pain. Take war, for example… War is a terrifying thing… Even battle-hardened soldiers will freeze with fear when they are confronted with imminent death."

At that point on, Alberich was rambling on nonsense to Nexus and he opens his menu and presses the button. 'If he's this OP, this won't kill him.'

Nexus readies his sword and with a press of a button, teleports between Kirito and Alberich ready to swing his blade. The cloaked figure and Re=L blocked it together shocking everyone.

"Sorry bossman. Mind if you keep on waiting for just a little bit? Alberich is getting straight into the good part." Re=L said with a smile overpowering Nexus before launching him back.

"Still instantaneous teleportation is quite interesting despite given very little admin powers." The hooded figure said which shocked everyone that he had this information. "Boy oh boy. You've really haven't gotten strong, brother."

"Brother!?" Nexus exclaims as the figure reveals to be Hera standing menacingly. "You!?"

"As much as I want to fight you, monologue comes first. Those are the rules so sit down and pay attention." Hera said before bowing to Alberich. "You may continue."

"Thank you. Now you all must know this. All of you are wearing NerveGear equipment that controls your minds using electric pulses. That makes this the ideal world for conducting my research. But funnily enough, I connected here by accident."

This time Yuuki stands next to Nexus. "What did you do? Fall into a NerveGear? Because that's really stupid."

"No. I was connecting this game to another system's network when suddenly I found myself transported to a place I'd never seen before. I would never have ended up in this nonsensical death game if it hadn't been an accident."

"Really smart. Now you're here and you're still conducting your research. How on earth do you plan on getting out?" Nexus chuckled to himself.

"But here's what I'm thinking. If you were connecting this game to another network and you know about controlling people's emotions, then you're obviously no normal player. Just who are?!" Kirito demanded answers from Alberich.

"Me? I'm the ruler of Sword Art Online! Argus, the company that developed SAO in the first place, has already been dismantled. Now, my company is in control. The FullDive Division of RCT keeps this world running."

"RCT!?" Asuna exclaims in shock.

"That's right. The company run by your father… my dear, dear Asuna."

"And so the true ruler appears. Nobuyuki Sugou." Nexus said in a firm stance. "Taking control of Argus after Kayaba passes out. Making this game how it is just so you can control everything. And worst of all. You forced Akihiko Kayaba to take the blame for everything and forced him in this game! So many people died just because of your thirst for power and wanting to control people's minds!"

"Ah! So you know who I am Goro Iwahashi. Your brother did say everything about you. So that's Yuuki. It's a pleasure." Asuna stood in shock before taking a step back.

"You know this guy, Asuna?!" Ren asked receiving a slow nod from the girl.

"Yes… I've met him a few times. He's one of the head researchers there. He's in charge of the FullDive Division and was second in command after Akihiko Kayaba."

"What…? A-After Kayaba? Bah! I don't deny that Kayaba and I have collaborated and shared the fruit of our labors on occasion. He did manage to leave me behind for a time, but he made his mistake. Kayaba has vanished inside the game. Now, I am the undisputed leader of the FullDive Division. But that's not all. I have now taken control of the very world that Kayaba created and I have taken my place as his superior."

"So you have special credentials and privileges that aren't available to normal players," Kirito said getting a bit tense.

"Heh heh heh! Exactly, Kirito! It makes what Kayaba and Nexus had in terms of admin powers look like they were the average player. I've got what's known as a super account, no. A god account. It's something that only I can use. I was just fortunate that when I got dragged into this game world, I was able to keep my god account credentials."

"But yet you don't have a log out button," Hera commented with a chuckle before receiving an evil stare coming from Alberich. "Sorry."

"I'm guessing that this god account allows you to prevent the Anti-Criminal Code from activating and had an item for teleporting other players at will…" Yuuki muttered with a hint of hostility.

"Right… He must've only been able to do those things because of the god account. And it also explains the high-end equipment and those curiously high stats." Nexus said while his teeth were gritting. 'But it seems like he made a mistake.'

"With stats, this impressive, beating this game should be a piece of cake, don't you think? As soon as I have finished experimenting on the players here, I shall clear the game. Then I shall be renowned as the hero who dived into this death game of his volition and rescued everyone." Alberich had a smug grin.

"That was the reason why he wanted to join the Assault Team. He couldn't get in but Re=L did. So that's a plus for us. It really helped us in our favor." Hera said.

"Precisely. I only joined the Assault Team to help Master Hera with his cause." Re=L said in her usual calm and collected voice.

"You'll never be a hero, Alberich. When we get out of here, we'll tell the police everything." Ren exclaims.

"Ren. He wouldn't have told us everything if it weren't for something. He's… going to plan on killing everyone here." Nexus said getting in his fighting stance.

"Exactly. After we're done clearing this game, everyone is going to die."

"You think those overinflated stats are going to make you a match for the Assualt Team?" Kirito said taking out Dark Repulsor and Elucidator.

"You really are an imbecile. I KNOW I can defeat you. Why else would I even be talking to you? Here. I have a present for all the members of the Assault Team!" Nexus was getting a sense of deja vu and rushed towards Alberich before falling to the ground.

"Wh-What's going on…? M-My body's tingling…" Klein had fallen to the floor.

"Y-You bastard. What the hell… did you do…?" Ren muttered.

Alberich and Hera were laughing their butts off but Re=L kept a straight face on.

"I'm glad you like it! I've used my super account credentials to give you all a taste of paralysis! You're not going to have full control of yourselves for a little while, I'm afraid. How does it feel? This is the power wielded by the ruler of this world!"

"Damn you…" Kirito muttered.

"K-Kirito…" Asuna called out weakly.

"Oh, there's no need to panic, Asuna. I won't kill you, I promise." Alberich said trying to reassure Asuna. "I'll just make sure you're securely sealed somewhere until my experiment is over. Meanwhile, back in the real world, while you lie asleep in your coma, plans for our wedding are coming along quite nicely."

"Hah? Wh-What are you talking about? She's already married to Kirito. Why on earth would she married you?" Yuuki said in a furious tone.

"Yuuki. This is real life we're talking about. As soon as we tie the knot, I'll be able to take control of your father's company. RCT will finally be all mine! Of course, if it came to that, you would most likely reject me. But once my research is complete, I shall be able to manipulate your emotions at will. Not only will you not reject me, but you will embrace me with open arms!"

"...?!" Asuna was terrified and Kirito could tell as he tried his best to escape.

"Heh heh! I own you now! Mind, body, and soul!"

"You son of a -"

"But I think we've talked enough. Can we hurry it up already?" Hera said getting a bit impatient.

"Alright. Now it's time if you all meet your final enemy." Alberich pressed a button in his menu and a figure came. It was a figure with a red hood.

"That's… the figure we all saw that day." Ren said with his eyes opened wide.

"Hm? So, you've already been introduced? As I understand it, this was designed to be the game's final boss. Well, this is your final battle, so I suppose this is appropriate. In your present states, you are all helpless to defend yourselves. You can concentrate on savoring the terror of imminent death! Nighty night..." Alberich laughs hysterically.

The figure deals blow after blow to everyone, slowly bring their HP from green to red. "How does it feel to be so close to death? The fear must be infecting every part of your body! Or do you feel nothing but the darkest despair? Ah, that reminds me. I really need to record your current emotional data, Kirito. Do you understand now? This is the very power of the ruler of this world! To think that you've spent so long fighting, leveling, and working on your stats only to be utterly hopeless before the power of my god account. No matter how realistic it might be, this world is nothing more than a collection of data. You can strive and struggle as much as you like, make countless sacrifices but you will never be a match for the administrator. I am a god here!"

"Y-You bastard…" Kirito muttered.

"H-How dare you…" Nexus said doing his best to stand up. "All of the people who have lived and died here in Aincrad… The time we spent together… All those memories… All that we did… It was nothing more than data to you. How dare you mock them after all they've done."

"Nexus. Nexus Nexus Nexus. Showing some tenacity even when you're about to die. I'm impressed. You're pushing through the admin paralysis. Is this because of your small immunity with what little power you have?" Alberich smirked before walking over and kicking Nexus in the face, knocking him back down.

"Nexus! Goro!" Yuuki cried out trying to reach to him. Hera and Re=L looked at the scene with a blank stare.

"Ha ha ha. You have spent over two years in this game, yet all of your efforts have meant nothing How does that feel? You were the one that helped everyone for ten floors. You worked your butt off and now. Almost everyone stares at you with that evil glare. It never goes away."

"Enough!" A blade swings towards Alberich forcing him to dodge away. "I am not letting you kill him! No one is going to kill my family."

"W-What? Hera?" Nexus looked up. "What's going on?"

"Commander Hera of the KoB infiltration squad is here to save all of you." Hera said with a smile before aiming his blade covering Nexus. "I know that you must have a lot of questions. I'm sorry for everything. But for now, heal."

Hera takes out a special type of crystal that healed all of the Assault Team, recovering their paralysis.

"It's gone…" Ren said standing up before looking at Hera. "Uh thanks I guess."

"No problem Ren. Sorry about that shield bash before." Hera said in a fighting stance ready to fight the boss.

"Uh sure."

"Apologies later and fighting now! We got a score to settle with this bastard!" Klein yelled out and everyone agreed with him.

"Hera. Should I?" Re=L asked receiving a nod. "Alright then. System login, Re=L. Mega debuff!"

Re=L surrounded herself with a blue flash that looked like the boss had gotten a lot weaker. Guess the name was self-explanatory for what it did.

"Alright! Let's go!"

* * *

"Th-This can't be happening…!" Alberich grunted taking a step back while Nexus was walking towards him.

"Ah shut up. Give up and shut down this game right now." Nexus said raising his sword.

"Urk! Give up? You must be out of your mind! That bastard traitor Hera used a super crystal… Not even I can unleash you paralysis for another few minutes. Doesn't mean I'm out of options!"

"You're going to try something else?! I'm not going to let you!" Yuuki yelled out running towards Alberich.

"Okay… Reset everyone's status… and set it to paralysis again… Including those two. There! How do you like that?!" Alberich yelled causing everyone to fall to the floor again.

"What!? But we used a super crystal! Why are we inflicted with Paralysis again!?" Hera grunted on the floor.

"He took away all of our buffs and debuffs and only gave us our debuffs again. Shit." Kirito muttered.

"Wah ha ha ha! Such a shame things didn't work out for you, Nexus. You never stood a chance against an opponent with a god account."

"S-Sugou…"

"Hmph. So it seems you defeated that boss avatar I went to all the trouble of getting ready for you… I suppose when you want something done, you have to do it yourself. It was my fault for your deaths to that thing." Alberich opens his menu and takes out a knife that was all too familiar to Nexus. "Now, allow me to introduce you to an interesting little weapon that is, of course, only available to those players fortunate enough to have a super account. No matter how high your HP or your defense, one blow from this and it well be reduced to zero."

"A weapon that neglects HP or defense?" Asuna pondered while seeing Alberich walking towards Nexus and Yuuki.

"Correct. But it won't kill you instantly. Oh no! That would be too easy! This one takes a long time! Quite an amazing weapon, wouldn't you say? Nexus. We'll see what it feels like to watch your HP slowly drain to zero. You'll have to let me know how that works out for you, Goro. Tell me just before your body and soul crumble to dust."

"You… are so dumb, huh? You… keep playing… these dirty tricks. You'll never be the man that Kayaba ever was."

"Again you continue to defile me! It's curtains for you… No. On second thought." Alberich was in a furious state and walks over and picks Yuuki up by the hair.

"Ow! Stop that! Let go of me you jerk!" Yuuki tried her best to squirm and move away but couldn't with her paralysis.

"Sugou! NO! Stop it! Let her go!" Nexus cried out doing his best to move closer to Alberich for a chance to stop him.

"Yuuki!" Everyone calls out. Alberich readies his dagger and thrusts it before a figure came and bump Yuuki out of his arms. The knife had dug deep into her chest area and everyone was indeed shocked.

"S-Strea?!" Kirito exclaimed.

"Sh-She…" Alberich stutters.

"This ends now." Strea said with a confident smile.

"How dare you interrupt me? Well, there's only one way to deal with you…" Alberich twists the dagger in deeper. "Wh-What? Why isn't it working?! Damn it! What's going on?! Why won't the window open?!"

"It won't work, you know… I took it from you…" Strea said with a smirk.

"You took it?! Wh-What the hell have you done?"

"What on earth?" Yuuki asked weakly.

"Don't worry… He's nothing now… Because… you've got me…"

"H-Hey! S-Strea?" Kirito called out.

"G-Get away from me!"

"Whaddya mean "get away"? We'll do whatever the hell we want." Klein said.

"We owe you one for the paralysis. We're going to need to keep an eye on you until the game's finished." Agil said as he and Klein picked up Alberich.

"Let go of me you dim-witted buffoons!" Alberich yelled out while being dragged away unable to move.

"Strea! Just hang in there!" Kirito called out while Ren tried using healing crystals and even Hera had used a super crystal to no effect.

"Damn it! The HP just keeps draining! Recovery items aren't making a difference!" Ren said taking heavy breaths.

"Not even the super crystal. Whatever status ailment that weapon triggered, it's not something we know how to cure." Asuna said with a weak voice.

"Gah! What are we going to do?" Yuuki asked messing her hair in frustration.

"Urgh… K-Kirito… Did you get him?" Strea asked weakly.

"I did… He's locked up for good. And he's never coming out."

"Yuuki would've died. We all owe you so much, Strea." Nexus said with tears coming out of his face.

"It's a shame he got away but I stole the credentials for his account…"

"You stole the credentials for his account? I'm afraid that I don't follow." Hera said blankly.

"Yeah… I stole his admin powers. Even though I know you would've beaten him even if I hadn't helped out…" Strea had a weak smile while she was in Kirito's arms. "Kirito… there's… something I haven't told you. Will you listen?"

"Yeah." Kirito nods.

"You can tell us anything." Asuna agreed.

"Well, the thing is, I-I… I'm not human." Strea's words rang through everyone. No one was not shocked when they heard that. "I'm… a Mental Health Counseling Program… I'm one of the programs integrated into this world..."

"So… you're the same as Yui…?" Asuna asked receiving a nod.

"Yui?" Hera asked.

"Kirito and Asuna's daughter. She's also a Mental Health Counseling Program…" Re=L explained to Hera. "She's one of my finest creations if I do say so myself. The same goes for you Strea."

"You're the one that created Yui and Strea? Which means" Nexus asked before receiving a response.

"Indeed. I am a developer of Sword Art Online. Azusa Tanaka." Re=L introduced to everyone. "Kirito, Asuna. Thank you so much for taking care of Yui. She's like a daughter to me but she loves you two so much."

"It's fine… We love Yui a lot and Strea as well." Kirito said looking back down at her.

"Mama…" Strea muttered before looking at Kirito. "Kirito, when you were battling on the 75th floor, I was monitoring you the whole time."

"That's how you knew about the battle even though you weren't there." Nexus said piecing it together.

"But then suddenly everything went black before my eyes and I was suddenly here in this world, all alone… For a while, my memory was full of gaps… I couldn't remember what I had been doing, what my original purpose had been…. The one thing I remembered was you, Kirito. That's why I searched for you. My memory came back little by little and I remembered what my original purpose had been when I was programmed. I'm here… to prevent this world from being destroyed..."

"And that would mean you were trying to prevent us from clearing SAO, right?" Ren asked receiving a nod.

"Yes… But in the end, I couldn't stand in your way… and I'm glad I couldn't… Kirito… All of you… Thank you for everything."

"Hey! Strea! What are you saying?" Kirito asked.

"Strea!?" Asuna said with a worried expression.

"Aaaangh!" Strea yelled.

"Strea! Strea!" A black aura starts to surround Strea and she started to float mid-air with everyone moving back. The aura grew bigger as it took shape of the Floor 100th boss's avatar.

"What the hell!? Didn't we just defeat this thing!?" Hera yelled out.

"Give me my daughter back!" Re=L cried out in anger.

"Strea! What happened to Strea?" Yuuki exclaims in confusion.

"It… It absorbed her?" Nexus wondered before a bright flash appears and the boss was gone. "It… It's gone…"

"Damn it! Wait! Give Strea back!" Kirito yelled where the figure used to be.

* * *

"So. An infiltration spy… Are you kidding me, Shinzo?" Nexus asked Shinzo in a secure location on Floor 76. This was just a few hours after everything just happened and everyone was a bit down, but Nexus still had to find some answers. "For a whole year. All of it. I thought that you finally snapped. That you went somewhere dark and I couldn't save you, that you would turn into something that hated me."

"I can't hate you Goro. You had no idea what happened. But Kayaba, on the other hand, had plans for me." Hera's worlds made Goro groan. "He's your boss as well."

"Yeah, but he didn't tell me anything. He said that he had no idea where you are or how you were doing. He lied to me… to be fair, he was playing the bad guy for quite a while with me."

"Yeah. He hated that people were dying because of Laughing Coffin so he made me go into their ranks as one of them. The rest was all luck, of me not killing anyone and taking some from other people just to free them… I almost lost count how many that I saved."

"You do know that this doesn't really save you from going after my wife." Nexus crosses his arms while leaning onto a tree.

"Fair point. I did go out of turn but I couldn't blow my cover. You can admit that I had no choice at that moment."

"...Fine." Nexus looked towards the hills and his hands were shaking. At that moment, he couldn't play the tough guy anymore. "Hera! Shinzo!"

Goro had hugged his baby brother with all of his might and just as he hoped, Shinzo hugged back.

 **Oh my god, it was so sad and heart wrenching. My heart just can't take it anymore! Alright alright, that's enough fake crying everyone. No one is actually sad by this moment. I wasn't even going to do this but then I realized that I put in Re=L on accident so I needed myself to write myself out of a corner.**

 **Heyo guys, gals, everyone! This is NexusMC coming out with a post that honestly should've come out a week ago but I actually got lazy and school became very hectic for unforeseen circumstances and this came out later. But that means that I will also be posting Six Dimensions early this week so you know what that means? Season Finale is coming out next week! To be honest, I was underwhelmed from when I first made this story but I'm telling you. It's going to get way better than before with Lost Song, whenever that's coming. So hope that you guys enjoy that.**

 **Also who expected this, real-life conflict! People want Goro dead, gonzo, sleeping with the fishes and are using guns and all that. That's all going to be concluded at the finale next week! And I'll go ahead and spoil how the ending is suppose to be, a trial. A courtroom trial. That's all. With this being said, I hoped that you enjoyed. If you like it, follow and favorite this story and me for more weekly content where the stories are trashy and cliche as hell. This is NexusMC signing off until next week! Stay classy!**


	15. Trials and Tribulations

"The last battle is about to start… It will be more fierce than the other battles up to now." Kirito had said before crouching down to Yui's height. Everyone had just reached the Ruby Palace, the 100th floor and Yui had come with everyone. "I don't know if I'll be able to help you if you are in danger."

"I know that, but…" Yui looks down with a sad look in her eyes. "I think Daddy and Mommy are going to return to the real world when the last battle is over."

"So you want to see your mommy and daddy until the very end right?" Yuuki crouches down to Yu as well. Yui nods making Yuuki smile. "Then that's fine, right?"

"I suppose so." Asuna comments.

"And… I want to be there, the moment when Daddy, Mommy, Uncle, and Auntie set this world free!"

"..."

"Please Daddy." Yui gives his dad puppy dog eyes.

"I got it, let's go together. But you have to stay close to everyone."

"Yes! Thank you, Daddy!"

Everyone walked through Ruby Castle and through the castle lied massive two red doors. Asuna, as usual, was giving her usual motivational speech like every floor. Nexus looked straight ahead and holds Yuuki's hand, almost gripping it but not too tightly.

"This is it… The final battle." Yuuki mutters. Her usual confidence was there but it wasn't as strong as it was usually.

"Don't worry. We got this. No one can stop us." Yuuki looks over at Nexus and the doors slowly opened revealing a hooded figure on the other side of a long hall room. "Let's free Strea and win this game."

"Yeah!" The Hollow Avatar stood soullessly in front of everyone just on that fateful day in the Floor 98 Boss Room. The figure that took away Strea was standing there. Waiting for someone to come and fight. And the people on the Assault Team were those very people that could stop it. And it did. After much time, the Hollow Avatar was defeated but not before multiple copies of a different type of AI appeared in the Ruby Palace. They were Mental Counseling robots like Strea and Yuuki and those were defeated as well. Finally the Hollow Avatar had gained full control of Strea's credentials when she stole them from Alberich to become stronger. Everyone on the Assault Team knew that this was the final battle. On that day, Sword Art Online was completed, and the start of a new life had just begun. But it was different than how Goro Iwahashi expected it to go.

Nexus the Multiwielder

By: NexusMC

Chapter 14: Trials and Tribulation

"Gaah!" Goro fell onto the ground with an incredible pain in his leg. He looked down to see blood coming from the leg. One of the attackers had shot and hit Goro's leg. "Shit… Are you serious?"

"Goro!" Date yelled as he picked up the boy and starts running. "I'm glad that you're super light… But this isn't good. Most of the men are dead and we don't have that many units in the area who can help us."

"Well what do you expect that we do? Hide in the shadows until we get to the courtroom?" Goro asked before giving it some thought. "That's honestly a better idea then being out in the open."

"That's why we're going to stay in alleyways and such. You're their main target right now and Sugou is doing everything in his power to stop and kill you. We can't let this bastard get away with this." Gunshots could be heard that was nearby and Date immediately took cover with Goro still in one arm over his shoulder.

"Hey Date! Do you have a phone on ya? This might be our only chance in getting away." Goro asked receiving a nod before being laid down on the floor and was handed a phone. "I'll be quick."

"Yeah!" Date looks over the corner and starts shooting with his revolver at two assassins who took cover and shot back. "Hurry. We got bogeys on our tail."

"Right right." Goro fumbles with the phone and presses a few numbers before putting it in his ear. "Hello! Andrew!?"

"Goro? Is something wrong? Is that gunshots I'm hearing?" Andrew questioned with a sense of worry.

"Yeah! I'm being shot down right now and I need pickup to the courthouse. How far is your bar from Shinfuku?! Near the takoyaki shop?"

"5 minutes. I was just about on my way to the courthouse. This is dangerous Goro." Andrew said as he was rushing.

"Yeah I know. Just call me when you're on your way." Goro ends the call before groaning about the bullet in his leg. "Damn it…"

"Tough it out. When we get to the courthouse, we'll have someone patch you up before the trial." Date said as he finally shoots down the assassins before reloading his revolver. "Tough bastards. How long until your friend is going to be here?"

Date looks over to see more people with guns and starts shooting in that direction. Goro looks at the phone before it starts ringing. "Now! Towards the Takoyaki shop!"

"Alright!" Date grabs Goro and runs towards the shop where they see a maroon colored truck with a familiar figure in the driver seat and the two get in and the van takes off. "Thank you very much sir."

"It was no problem… I don't think anyone saw you two getting in so we're in the clear for right now. Jeez. What kind of crazy stuff do you do, Goro?" Agil comments with a heavy sigh.

"None of this is my fault! Sugou is the only one to blame for this! He just wants me to shut up." The van takes a hard right causing Goro's whole body to move and he bands his head on the window. "Ow!"

"Sorry. I thought that I would take a detour. It's faster and safer."

"Good call. Shaking off any bogeys on our tail. I just radioed in for medical personnel to come help with the bullet wound." Date said putting the radio down and taking a deep breath as he tries to relieve some stress.

"Bullet wound? Where?" Agil looks over to see the blood coming from Goro's leg. "That's why he was carrying you. Alright. I'll try to be as fast as I can."

"I'm allowing you to run through all the red lights that you can. Just get us to the courthouse." Date said looking through the window just in case.

The van made it to the courthouse fifteen minutes later and a huge rush of paparazzi was at the scene so when Goro came out of the van to the courthouse, all of them tried to swarm him with questions but Date and Agil just pushed on through the crowd. Once inside the courtroom and in the lobby.

September 27, 9:47 AM

District Court

Lobby No. 2

Inside the lobby was all of Goro's friends except for Yuuki waiting for him to show up. They were all dressed up in formal business attire as they looked over to see Goro before realizing that he was in a wheelchair. He had gotten the bullet out after an hour in the room and the wound patched up but he still couldn't walk.

"Goro!" They all run over to see Goro in bad shape.

"Hey hey. Don't crowd over me like Kazuto. I'm fine. Just a bullet wound is all." Goro said bluntly before getting his shirt grabbed by Shino who starts shaking him.

"Bullet wounds is nothing to laugh at! You could've died."

"I know I know Shino. I just didn't want you to worry. Besides, I'm here now aren't I? And I'm mostly alive. Now can you please let me go?" Goro said as Shino lets go of his shirt. "Thank you. Now where's the prosecutor? She should be here anytime now."

"Inside talking to the judge." Asuna said pointing to the courtroom. "She's going to be the one to start with their opening statements."

"And Yuuki? She isn't here yet." Ryoutarou said looking around. "I didn't see any sign of her."

"She'll come… She's probably getting a last minute check up from the doctors before she arrives. I'm just glad that the hospital is nearby." Shinzo said scratching the back of his head.

"Hospital? Is it something really serious?" Rika asked receiving a nod from Goro.

"Yeah. There was an accident where she had bad blood in her system… Blood that had HIV…" Goro said gripping the handle of his wheelchair. "In any case, this is the final final battle. I hope you all realize that."

"Yeah! We're with you one step at a time! Go get him!"

Goro smiles before hearing wheels rolling towards the group and he spins around to see Yuuki also in a wheelchair and a pole that had an IV bag which was going in her nose. "Hey! I'm not too late am I?"

"No… You're right on time." Goro rolls over to Yuuki and smiles before placing his hand on hers but doesn't use a tight grip. "Right now at this very moment. I feel unstoppable. That's because I have your and everyone's support."

"Then what exactly are you waiting for buster! Get out there!"

"Yeah!"

The start of the trial started to be pretty standard as both the defense and prosecution gave their opening statements about the trial and whether not Nobuyuki was guilty or not guilty. However the Defense Attorney seemed to be a bit shaky on his case as he stuttered a lot or didn't seemed properly prepared. Then came to the cross-examination of the defendant or Sugou when he saw that Goro was sitting proudly near the prosecution table in his wheelchair. Then Goro Iwahashi came to the witness stand from the request of the Prosecution.

"Sir. Please give your name and occupation to the court." The prosecutor asked while she fixed her hair.

"Right. My name is Goro Iwahashi and I'm a student and a SAO player." This caused many of the people in the jury to talk to each other.

"Alright. You had openly admitted to working with Akihiko Kayaba during your time trapped in Sword Art Online?"

"Correct. I worked for Kayaba to save my little sister who was help in captivity." Goro answered the prosecutor's question honestly.

"Now. Would you mind telling me why you believe that the defendant is guilty of the Sword Art Online incident?"

"It's because he has openly admitted to everyone that he indeed was the one that trapped everyone in on purpose to perform scientific experiments in a person's mind."

"Objection! There's no evidence on the matter! No evidence has been presented to the court revolving Nobuyuki Sugou." The defense attorney yells out.

"Sustained."

"Objection your honor. The prosecution has already submitted evidence on the matter. If I could have permission?"

"Sustained I guess. You may show us what you have."

The Prosecutor takes out a USB drive in a ziploc bag and plugs it into a laptop that is connected to a projector and that's where the color of Sugou's face disappeared completely. "Exhibit A shows that the player known as Alberich has just admitted to be both the mastermind of this game and Nobuyuki Sugou. This was taken via footage of a program called the Mental Health - Counselling Program. With that, everything that the defendant's has stated is the truth. The Prosecution rests."

"Defense. You may give your cross-examination now." The judge has said but he did not move. Later on, both Kazuto and Asuna gave their part on the subject as they were also part of the video and true to be told, more evidence were found through Sugou's connections through the company.

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty. The jury finds Nobuyuki Sugou guilty of all charges."

In the end, Sugou was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and a full scale investigation was launched to find out whether or not, Kayaba was innocent. Kazuto and Goro were told that Kayaba was found dead in the mountains with his cerebrum fried which came at a shock to Kazuto but not to Goro. It wasn't until November of 2025 that the investigation came to a close and Kayaba had indeed had no intentions of making it the death game that it was and two days later, Goro was released from his juvenile detention center and was greeted happily but his family and friends alike in a party at Agil's bar. All of the people that Goro had met during that time was there and it felt like it normally did.

'At peace… Kayaba can rest in peace now that he is cleared of all charges… Oh what am I kidding. That bastard' Goro was thinking before realizing that someone was waving their hand at his face. In front of him was Ayuko and Yuto who were wondering why he was spacing out.

"Earth to Goro? Are you there? We were talking about Alfheim… Are you even paying attention?" Yuto asked receiving a nod. "Really? What's the game about?"

"Umm… fairies and norse mythology?" Goro replied with a chuckle receiving stares. "What?"

"Wow… You're not wrong but still." Ayuko said with the shake of her head while smiling.

"I was in the ballpark was I not?"

"Yeah. A ballpark of a different country." Rika retorted before getting a grape thrown at her forehead.

"Anyway we're going to all play it together. You're game right?" Kirito asked.

"Damn straight. I wouldn't miss playing games with you guys for the world…" Goro said with a smile.

"Wait… After all that, you're dead. Gonzo. Then what?" Goro asked after Floor 100 was cleared and The Hollow Strea was defeated. "When was this? That you died."

"Shortly after Kirito killed both you and me. But I survived by making my brain go into the internet but I'm trapped. Now that SAO is cleared, the game is going to destroy everything. Just like with Yui and Strea. I need a place of sanctuary."

"So you're asking me…" Goro said before a sigh. "Fine. I'll do that. How exactly does it work?"

Kayaba opens up his menu and sends a trade request with Goro who at first was confused before accepting it. A number percentage started to load in front of Goro.

"I'm uploading my data to your Nervegear. I'll leave you to do the rest. You can delete me, save me, upload me to the internet." Static appeared around the two as only 75% percent was completed but the rest was gone… as everything went black.

"The sunset is nostalgic." Goro said looking far out at the top of the hospital with Yuuki. "Man. Has it really been 4 years since I saw the third best view in the world?"

"Third best view? What can the other two views be then?" Yuuki asked from her wheelchair.

"Second would happen to be Lindarth. Where I proposed to you. I burned that into my memory for all time. I'll never forget it."

"Oh really. You're so cheesy. Then Mr. Cheesy One! What could possibly be your number 1 view that can beat that?" Yuuki asked with interest.

"You of course." Goro said with a smile causing Yuuki to blush.

"You dork. You're making me embarrassed."

"Maybe I am a dork… But being here with you. I don't want that to ever change." Goro looks towards the sunset. "Yuuki. I've decided on something. My future. I now know what I want to do." Goro looks towards Yuuki, his body covering the sun as it was setting. His eyes full of tears. "I'm going to help you Yuuki. I don't want this to ever stop. So I'm going to study hard and become a doctor."

"Goro… Your future." Yuuki tries her best to stand up but ends up falling only to be caught by Goro's arms. Her eyes also had tears as she smiled. "You doing this much for me… You always helped others. Your strong, dependable, smart, kind while sometimes you may be a smartass. I wonder why you go out of your way for me?"

"It's obvious. My future… is incomplete without you."

Nexus the Multi-Wielder

Season 1

Fin

 **As much to say it, just as I said. This battle is not as climatic as most would hope for it. Real life just simply doesn't have that type of intensity with fantasy types of things. Sure something like assassination can happen in movies but that's more real. Sure the final battle with Sugou could've been on the 100th floor but then what about Strea. Wouldn't she be a part of this? Those type of questions and answers is exactly why I didn't consider those possibilities in the final chapter of the first season.**

 **Hello everybody. This is NexusMC with... I honestly can't bring myself to make this normal or casual. This is the end of a story. The first in many to come in the future. It's almost been a whole year since I started writing this series and I got to say. It's been one heck of a ride with all of you. Sure I didn't meet the expectations that I had for followers and favorites or even people criticizing my work. No one does that nowadays to me at least. Honestly, I would like it if anyone would take the time to talk and say hey. You could've done this better or good job. You must've put in a lot of time and effort into making these but no. I don't know how that makes me feel. Sure I still get notifications that oh yeah... I'm getting favorites and followers but no messages. It's only at the beginning really when people comment which means that some people aren't into the series or something.**

 **I don't want to keep rambling on about that so let's move on. Trials and Tribulations have a double meaning for this type of chapter. One thing, it's a reference to Ace Attorney 3: Trials and Tribulations and the power that comes from those games really spoke to me that made me consider law as a thing for my future. I couldn't do that for personal reasons so the best thing I could do was making something proper in all of this. It's a fantasy game in a virtual world but the actions and consequences can be real. After all, three years is a long time. That's the second meaning. Just being able to leave Sword Art Online after so long can leave an impression on one's mind. That'll be coming whenever I start up this series again. Who knows how long that's going to be. I already have something in my mind as for right now.**

 **The power that Nexus gets in Sword Art Online, I called it Switch Nexus. It's a skill where Nexus can switch weapons to whatever ones he wants in his inventory after a time limit of 10 seconds which could be shortened over time with the leveling of the skill itself. The inspiration for this, people might have thought that it could've come from Ezra from Fairy Tail but I never watched it nor planning on watching it. I got it from Noctis from Final Fantasy XV. Crazy right? Square Enix can really impact me in many ways. But the way that Nexus fights actually come from different sources.**

 **Nexus when using a knife really came out a lot during the later chapters references the style that Goro Majima would use. He's from the Sega game series, Yakuza and his first name is the same as Nexus'. Smart am I right? Guess I just can't help it, impacting other things into this other series that really don't correlate with each other. I had swordplay and monsters from Infinity Blade, with Ashimar the Sorrowmaker and the quest to find the Vile Blade, Armor, Helmet, Shield which got Ren and Koharu the ring that they used to propose to each other with. Certain scenes came from the games and anime while I did add my own spice to it.**

 **Finally the tension and battle with the brothers. It's forced in my own opinion and such. I thought about it last year but now that I think of it. It's stupid. How exactly did he join Laughing Coffin? Why did I make him join Laughing Coffin. Normal people wouldn't have done something like that. They wouldn't just go into fits of rage on their love ones. They can be loving and understanding that somethings are just out of people's control so I had to give Hera a reason. A reason to do everything that he did. Kayaba was the reason. He has impacted a lot of the game/anime and such but in a scale that can really affect everyone in it. Mostly someone that he can really call a puppet for anything that he wants. So by this type of thing, he hated Laughing Coffin from what I portrayed the Hollow Fragment timeline. He was innocent of everything and didn't want to create a world where people could die and Nobuyuki Sugou was the real master of all of this by himself.**

 **All in all, while this story was fun to make, it had it's ups and downs and I can see that there are more than should be there. I should take the time to review for small bits like grammar and such. And that's my New Year's resolution. To do more. To be something better in this. So until next time SAO fans. This is NexusMC signing off for a while. If you enjoyed, please follow and favorite me and this story and leave a comment if you feel like something you might want to see. This is where people can have fun and dumb jokes and cliches. With that being said. Stay classy.**


	16. Arc Prologue

**(Disclaimer. This is a continuation of a fanfiction called Nexus the Multi-wielder. However it is not mandatory to read in order to understand the story of this fanfiction. Sword Art Online isn't mine and the characters in this fanfiction doesn't belong to me except my OCs and certain situations. With this in mind, thanking for reading and hope that you enjoy.)**

* * *

Sword Art Online or SAO is an online VRMMORPG, the first of its kind thanks to the ideas of Akihiko Kayaba. However no one realized that this was a trap and on that fateful day, 10,000 people were trapped, under the control of one man. People had pinned it on Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of SAO and the Nervegear.

During this time, one person became a really important figure in the game, Nexus for his unique skill to switch weapons on the fly. An incident had occurred when Floors 41-50 required only one person at a time to face the boss, with a reduced amount of health and strength.

It wasn't only until recently that he was found out for allying with Kayaba, also known as Heathcliff in the game. Once a popular figure in the game, became one of the most despicable people. Nexus had very few to go to, including his childhood friend and in-game wife, Yuuki Konno who he loved very dearly.

Even after the death of Heathcliff, the game continued until it was realized that the true mastermind of the whole ordeal was Sugou Nobuyuki, who easily took control of the whole project from Kayaba who had passed out from being too exhausted. After his defeat, he was tried in a court of law and found guilty of all charges with Kayaba being free, despite being dead due to the Nervegear.

The hero of the game, Kirito or Kazuto Kirigaya was praised for defeating the whole game, but Nexus on the other hand, was still treated horribly by most of his peers, despite the new facts coming to light.

* * *

(December 12, 2025)

"Ding ding ding! The special roulette of truth! Show me what race I will be! As long as it's not Gnome!" The 16-year-old boy says before looking at a roulette wheel with each panel having a different name. "What race will Goro Iwahashi be for Alfheim Online? Let's find out!"

"This is the dumbest idea I have ever seen but you do you. I just hope RNG is nice to you." A shorter boy talks to his older brother before leaving the room. "I'll be having fun being a Salamander when I get my own Amusphere. So you have fun with the others."

"Hey! At least I'm having fun while choosing my race instead of choosing my race on personal

choice, Shinzo! RNG is fun dang it!" Goro yells out in response

"Is that why you lost 200 bucks in FGO Gachas looking for some random 2d girl?!" Shinzo retorts with a smile. "Klein was really proud when he heard you did that!{

"Oh hardy hardy har! I got the money for free so hah! And I was thinking that you could use the amusphere later, but you can forget that. You can wait until you get an Amusphere to play the game!" Goro takes a deep breath before spinning the roulette wheel. "This is a really ghetto version of Wheel of Fortune. In any case… I get it. Oh. That's interesting. Are the guys going to judge this for this? Whatever. Let's just do this."

Goro walks to the bed and sits down before giving a proper look at the Amusphere and takes a deep breath. His hand was shaking, before he grabs the Amusphere and puts it on and logs on. He lays down on the bed before closing his eyes. "Link Start!"

Struggling With Myself

By: NexusEX

Chapter Prologue

Nexus, the username for Goro, opens his eyes to see the character creation screen. It started off with a race selection screen before going into how exactly the character was going to look. 'Glad that they got rid of the RNG part of the character creation. Otherwise I would not be playing this game as a male… I'm glad that no one can hear me.'

* * *

After a good solid 8 minutes of customizing his character for him to look exactly like how he looks in real life, Nexus clicks ok.

Nexus opens his eyes once again to find himself in the middle of a forest with a bit of confusion. "What's going on? I thought I was supposed to be spawned at the starting city… Did the game glitch? This is something definitely going into the forums. Let's just see where I am? Maybe I can get some early exp and be OP early on. Like Kirito! Oh wait… I can never be as OP as that guy."

Nexus walks around the forest, looking around before turning around to see a sight that terrified him. Nexus instinctively takes out his sword before looking in front of him to see a player with a familiar looking armor.

"Oh? What's a noob like you doing in a place like this? Whatever. I was looking forward to PKing someone today." The player said with a chuckle. "Huh? Your face is priceless. What you thought this was real life, kid? Please. This isn't SAO."

Before Nexus could truly react, he was stabbed straight the the gut by the player and was killed instantly due to his low level, but as the health dropped quickly, so did his heartbeat, to the extent that it was dropping so fast that a warning was issued to Nexus's eyes and the next thing he knew… there was pitch black darkness.

* * *

Goro opens his eyes and tosses away the Amusphere which lands on the ground before curling up into a ball. His whole body was shaking and his breaths were heavy but still fast, almost to the point of hyperventilating. It took 30 minutes before Goro fully calmed himself and slowly pondered what exactly he just saw inside the game.

'A… floor boss? Why is that here? It shouldn't be there, someone cleared the game. Unless the developers put it in there, no they wouldn't risk it. There are people from SAO that still play games. Too much of a risk. Probably a coincidence… Wait. It was a player. Yeah. He talked… PK. CALM DOWN GORO!' Goro barely stood up and goes downstairs before drinking a cup of water before wiping his forehead. His face was drenched with sweat and his legs were shaking like crazy. He looks at the Amusphere before picking it up and unplugs it and takes it all to his little brother's room.

"Shinzo… I have a gift for you." Goro said walking into the room, confusing his little brother. "I thought about it a bit. Sharing is a fundamental part so you can use it for a bit… Mom always said that."

"What's going on? You're doing this for a reason." Shinzo questions with a suspicious look on his face. "I'm standing by on my claim for the Gacha thing. It was stupid of you."

"No… Not that. Look. I'm going to be out of the house for a while so you go play. Do whatever, I don't care. Just don't use my account." Goro said putting all of the cables and the Amusphere on the floor gently before leaving the house. 'I need some peace and quiet and just think… Library works I guess.'

Goro puts on his headphones and listens to music while walking to the library which isn't too far from where he lived. He stops outside the place before taking out his phone and calls someone. "Hello? Yes. This is Goro Iwahashi. Yes. That would be really grateful that you do that. Really? She's quite busy isn't she… Alright. Thank you very much. Goodbye."

"And who would that be that your talking to?" A voice that comes up from behind, makes Goro jump a few feet in the air before turning around to see a familiar looking girl.

"Shino?! What are you doing here… Actually don't answer that question. I know why you're here so let me say this again. Why did you scare me like that?!" Goro takes a deep breath to readjust himself. Shino Asada, a friend of Goro's while he worked at his parent's restaurant but the two became closer because of the events of Sword Art Online.

"Oh nothing. You looked so serious so I thought I would have a little fun with you. So what's so serious that you had to make that face?" Shino asked as the two walked towards the library entrance.

"It's nothing to worry about. Just need to set some things straight. A small thing that I'm going to be busy with. Nothing you have to worry about." Shino furrows her brow a bit while looking at Goro but lets it go.

"Fine. Do you mind helping me find a book? I can't seem to find it whenever I'm here." Shino says with a sigh, sounding annoyed about the fact.

"If you can't find it, then maybe someone checked it out. That's always a thing." Goro replied.

"No… The librarian says that it is definitely here. Just gotta keep on looking for it… Then probably pick up a book that catches my interest for the next how long it takes me to read the book."

"RIP. So what book are you looking for?"

"It's… story of Ashimar the Sorrow Maker." As Shino said the name of the book, the sound of a mirror could be heard in Goro's mind.

* * *

It has been three weeks after the fact of what transpired with the Amusphere, Goro was currently in a Therapy Hospital.

"So the name "Ashimar the Sorrow Maker" constantly haunts you because in reminds your time of being in Sword Art Online. Is this correct? Whether it be the name or something like the boss in a video game?" A woman in a black suit was asking while Goro was laying down on a couch.

"That is correct... Doctor Watanabe. Whenever I hear the name, or see a slight image in my head… I start to lose all strength in my body. I start to breath at an alarming rate. Playing on the Amusphere isn't the problem… It's the things that brings me back to Aincrad." Goro comments while hugging a pillow.

Dr. Watanabe gives it a thought before writing on a piece of paper, attached to a clipboard. "Well have you talked to anyone about this? You have friends that you can confide into, right? I'm well assured that they understand what you're going through. Andrew was a prime example of having nightmares about the place. It was disrupting the sleep of the misses so he talked to everyone. A discussion panel that everyone had and over time, they moved on."

"I see. I thought that it was going to be really complicated about how to fix the problem. I should've talked to everyone about this if this was really bothering me." Goro said taking a deep breath before standing up. "Thank you again."

Goro heads to the door but Dr. Watanabe clears her throat catching his attention. "Please leave the pillow on the couch. It's for guests."

"Oh… sorry. It was just so soft." Goro places the pillow on the sofa before leaving. Once out of office, Goro takes out his phone and opens up the group chat that had everyone from the main group in SAO. He thinks about it, a person could really see the struggle that he was facing before typing the message.

Goro: Guys… I need help. Would it be alright if we all met up? It's something a bit serious.

Goro waited for a few minutes before getting responses from everyone. They were all supportive and genuinely concerned about there being something wrong and everyone agreed to meet up at Agil's bar that was in town. Goro was about to head there before receiving a call on his cell phone and he picks up.

"Hello?" Goro asks.

"Goro! Are you alright? I would text but my body is a little tired so the nurse put my phone on speakers and laid it on a table next to me. So what's going on? Is there something wrong?" The voice came from the other side of the phone.

"Yuuki. I would say that I'm fine… but really. I'm not. I'm nowhere near where you're at right, not even close, but it's stressful… I have been getting nightmares from when we were in SAO and I… It's stressful."

"Goro. Why don't you say thing sooner? We could've helped you a long time ago!" Yuuki said towards Goro, still genuinely concerned.

"Yeah… I should've thought about it sooner. Guess I was just a bit shaken up a bit." Goro said before smiling. "But it's really uplifting that everyone is really supportive to me. I really wish you could be there with me. But this is good enough."

"Still doing cheesy lines I see." Yuuki tries to level the tension and help Goro a bit with some light jokes before changing the subject. "So… you're not going to be join us?"

"I rather you guys not wait up for me in Alfheim Online. That's not fair to you guys." Goro said.

"You know dang well that we're going to be waiting for you! This is not fair to you in the slightest!" Yuuki retorted.

"You're not going to back down from this I take?" Goro questions hearing a yes from the phone. "The others are probably going to say the same… I don't expect anything else honestly. I'll visit you later."

"Alright! Bye Goro! Stay strong!" The phone call ends and Goro looks towards the city with a tired look in his eyes.

* * *

(Alfheim Online)

"What is this place?" A figure walks through the city in a black hood, examining their surroundings. "I was awake for only a short time but then I fell asleep again. Well whatever. This could be a place to have some fun until I find HIM. Just you wait, Nexus."

* * *

 **Hey guys this is NexusEX with a continuation of Nexus the Multi-Wielder. The idea of this part of the story came from something that I found as a critique of Sword Art Online which wasn't properly addressed. PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, in this case, revolving the thing of SAO.**

 **PTSD is usually used for people that are in military situations or going through a traumatic situation, like the loss of a close relative. In SAO, people went through SAO for majority of the time without someone who can help because Yui, Strea, and the other Mental Health Counseling Programs were closed off because stress and disorder was a thing. Anyone who has gone through something like the loss of closed teammates or family in a death game for 2 and a half year would honestly make someone be diagnosed by a therapist with Depression and PTSD.**

 **In this case, I hoped you enjoy this story and if you do, follow/favorite/comment both me and story for more content. This is NexusEX signing off! Stay Classy!**


	17. Working Slowly

"So you're telling me… That all I have to do. Is download these files? And if I play a VRMMORPG ever again. Put the files in that thing? Is that what you're telling me, right now?" Goro asks to Akihiko Kayaba who nods in response. "This seems way to good to be true right now. There must be some catch. There always is with you."

"No. No catch at all. I made you work more then you should have. Plus all of the hate being thrown towards you, I won't push you." Kayaba said while watching Aincrad crumble down slowly. "It baffling to me… How two weeks can change everything. Two weeks changed how everyone perceived me, my dream being molded to this. An inescapable death trap. You on the other hand. Your life in terms of the people of Aincrad changed in a matter of mere minutes."

"Yeah… But I think it was worth it in the end." Goro says sitting down. "Say. Can you program something to eat? I'm just wondering. This might be the last time that I'm going to be in a game for a long while."

"I think I have something that might do the trick." Kayaba opens his inventory and takes out an item, a popsicle stick and hands one to Goro before eating it himself.

"Thanks…" Goro bites into the popsicle to taste a salty yet sweet sensation in his mouth. "Sea-salt ice cream?"

"It's a favorite from an old game. It brings back old memories of 2005 when I was still young and had a lot of dreams. I think that this game was what inspired me to pursue my dream." Kayaba sighed before seeing his whole body start to shift. "The game is about to completely shut down. This nightmare will finally be over."

"That's good…" Goro comments as he opens his menu. "Kayaba… The second file is not done downloading."

"Wait. No! That's a problem! If it hasn't fully downloaded then it'll" Before Kayaba could finish his statement, everything went black.

Struggling With Myself

By: NexusEX

Chapter 1: Working Slowly

"Stress ice cream tastes amazing," Yuuki said with a smile as she is handed a spoonful of mint chip ice cream from Goro. "You know, with all of your stress eating, I thought that you'd gain weight. But you look pretty fine to me."

"Oh. I got a punching bag. So whenever I have anxiety, I would start punching it. My knuckles hurt a lot because of them." Goro shows with his knuckles being red. "But today… is the day when I'll enter Alfheim with everyone. I just got another Amusphere for myself so I hope that everything will be fine."

"Hey. It'll be fine. You got me here! What more do you need?" Yuuki asks with a smile.

"A carton of ice cream. That's what." Goro said eating a spoonful.

"Well aren't you a smart alec? Give me another." Yuuki asks with puppy doll eyes before taking another bite. "Alright. The doctor gave me the ok to log in. You'll be in the other room, right?"

"Ahuh. I'll see you and the others inside." Yu gives Yuuki a kiss on the forehead before walking to the next room over to see a man working. "You know, Doctor Watanabe. You don't really have to do this."

"What makes you say that? This could be a serious issue if not taken properly. We need to monitor your heart rate, and other signs to make sure that you make a quick recovery." Dr. Watanabe said as he readies the equipment. "Alright. It's all set. Once you're linked to the Amusphere, we will be monitoring your body for anything."

"Thank you, Dr. Watanabe. Both you and Mrs… Dr. Watanabe are a big help." Goro said before laying down on the bed before putting his Amusphere on.

"Deep breaths Goro. We'll be here." The doctor said before waiting for Goro to do his thing.

"Right… Link Start!" Goro logged into Alfheim Online, once again, about to start another adventure.

* * *

Nexus opens his eyes to a town. It seems as he was spawned correctly and examines his surroundings. "Okay… Deep breaths. In and out."

Nexus takes a second to adjust himself to being back into a game before walking around town to see Players and NPCs all over the place, the standard in an RPG. He walks around until he sees a very familiar brown-haired cat girl with a blue dragon waiting with a blue-haired neko.

'So they didn't change much.' Goro said walking over the two. "Silica, Sinon. There you are."

"Oh Nexus. Are you feeling okay?" Silica asks with concern receiving a nod from her friend. "I'm glad."

"Everyone has leveled up to Level 70 but we're going to have to slow our progress a bit just so you can catch up. Are you sure that you're ready to fight and all that?" Sinon asks.

"Yeah… I'm ready." Nexus said as he takes out his one-handed sword. "Before we begin… I read that we could fly in this game. Can you show me how?"

"I can… but Leafa would be better suited in teaching you. However, you can use a remote control to fly for you in the meantime. Just open your menu." Nexus nods and tries to open his menu which isn't opening. "You're left hand."

"Oh." Nexus opens the menu and looks through everything before taking out a controller. "Alright. Let's see. Steering, speed, going up and down. Seems normal."

Nexus tries to move the switch but wasn't flying.

"Nexus. You have to summon your wings, first." Silica explains. "Just believe that you can fly. And it'll come to you."

"Believe? What is this? Peter Pan?" Nexus jokes before closing his eyes and he felt a slight sensation leave his feet. "Woah! This is so cool!"

"Seems like you're getting the hang of it. Try and follow us for a bit. Let's see how well you can do." Sinon and Silica both activate their wings and fly forward in front of Nexus who uses the controller to catch up to the two girls. "Not bad. How about if we do sharp turns like this!"

Sinon does sharp turns from the left and right, trying to test how well Nexus could fly so he does as fast he could but the turns for him were too sharp with the limits that the controller gave.

"It looks like you can't fly as well with the controller, Nexus." Silica said as she was watching Nexus trying to fly.

"Well, at least you can fly. I think that we should take you to a place which is have leveled monsters. That way, when you get the experience, you can level up at a faster rate." Sinon said before getting a notification. "Looks like Kirito and the others are online and coming over."

"Cool. As for now, let's try to take on some mobs." Nexus uses the remote control to slowly descend and gets ready against a mob. 'There's no sword skills as of right now. So only genuine strikes…'

Nexus readies his sword against an Orc. Its hp wasn't that high as it is a beginning monster so it isn't aggro towards Nexus yet. He readies his sword and slices the back of the orc doing a tenth of the orc's health bar, angering the monster. The Orc turns around and swings down at Nexus who parries the attack before slicing twice at the chest area doing more damage before jumping back. Nexus waits patiently for the orc to strike before dodging and slices while it was open until the mob explodes into pixels.

"Not bad. You did more of a defensive approach though." Nexus turns around to see Kirito and Asuna standing right behind him. "Guess that you're still careful about your hp?"

"Yeah. I'm such a low level that I'm still a bit shaky. I think that I'll be fine though." Nexus says with a sigh. He grips his sword before putting it away. "In any case. It's a slow process right now."

"No doubt. You can take it slow, we'll wait for you." Asuna said.

"No, it's fine. Actually, I was hoping to be at a higher level. Might put some ease on the tensions." Nexus said as Kirito gives it some thought.

"You may be right. But this experience is for you to deal with the stress. So no fast way mister. You're going to long way!" Kirito said pointing to the orcs. "Get slicing and dicing."

"Darn it…" Nexus said with a sigh before rushing off to fight more mobs.

"Level… 16. The game has a fast leveling system. That's for sure." Nexus said out of breath before laying down.

"Yeah. We started recently just to be a bit ahead but apparently, the game doesn't give you notifications that you level up and all that. So we're a bit higher level than we should be." Kirito shrugs.

"Says the person who is Level 70 after 2 weeks." Sinon comments before waving at a familiar figure. "We're over here."

"Yoohoo! Where is he?!" Yuuki said with a smile before rushing over to Nexus. "Looks like you're doing well. Did you get into any trouble?"

"Not really no. He was at first doing a defensive approach but started to really get back into it after Level 10 or so." Asuna measured.

"I feel like we're missing someone…" Nexus looks around. "Where did Silica go?"

"Something about doing something with Pina in the real world. Doesn't make sense since Pina is a dragon." Sinon states.

"You do know that Pina is a cat in the real world," Kirito said as everyone stares at him. "What? She invited me over one time and I met Pina."

"You went over to Silica's house? Not sure how to think about this." Nexus said with a chuckle towards Kirito who was getting glares by Sinon and Asuna.

"Oh be quiet. You were there as well!" Kirito points at Nexus who was smiling devilishly.

"You got no evidence."

"In any case, Kirito is in a lot of trouble." Yuuki smacks Nexus's back, causing him to jump in the air in pain.

"OW! What the hell?!" Nexus exclaims out loud before feeling a sore pain in his back area. "Ow… ow ow ow."

"Aah! Are you ok? I'm sorry." Yuuki said rubbing Nexus's back which automatically soothes him. "I had no idea that you're back was so sensitive."

"Maybe it has to do with your Level difference? You're attacking stat is enormous compared to Nexus's measly defense." Kirito states with a sigh. "Anyway. That's enough of a break. Get back to fighting. You need to catch up to us faster!"

"Must I? I think I made some huge progress today." Nexus looks at his friends. "Fine… I'll get right on it."

Nexus looks at the mobs that he had to face before looking at his hp. "This isn't real. I can die without too much complication. This is a game after all. And… I have everyone."

* * *

 **Hey guys! This is NexusEX with another chapter for you all.** **Just like the chapter of this fanfic, this story is working slowly towards the actual plot. Going straight in sometimes takes everything out of the story and a small introduction to the characters is really everything. Well I mean, you should know everyone in this story if you're reading this. This is, after all, a fanfiction so the only ones that you shouldn't know are OCs are characters from Hollow Fragment/etc that you don't recognize because you haven't played the games. In which case, you should go ahead and do that.**

 **In any case, I'll keep the message short. The next chapter is the first real leap so until then. If you liked this, follow/favorite/comment this fanfic for more content. With that being said.** **This is NexusEX signing off!** **Stay classy!**


	18. The Start

"This world... Doesn't look familiar at all." A cloaked figure walks around a town to find everything in ruins. There were players beating each other down, commonly seen in the type of towns that the law cannot control or in this case, the leaders of the nations.

The figure examines the area around him before bumping into a muscular Salamander player who just turns around and picks up the figure. "Oi! You bumped into me!"

"Sorry. I wasn't seeing where I was going." The figure said rather irritated all of a sudden. "Are you going to let me go or what?"

"Or what?" The player said with an amused grin.

"I'll kill you in 10 seconds."

"You and what army?"

"I don't need one to deal with an anomaly like you." The figure kicks away from the player before summoning a double sided sword as he splits it into two.

"What the heck is with that weapon?" The player said before taking out his ax. "Whatever. I'll make sure to kick your ass so hard that you won't ever resp-"

"You talk too much." The figure slices 3 times at incredible speed before the player could even finish speaking as the player was knocked to the ground. Before he had a chance to recover, the figure smashes his head to the ground before continuously stabbing him until his HP reached zero and engulfs into a ball of flame. "Even dying in this world is abnormal. Perhaps this destruction and chaos is the norm here."

 **Program... installing new data. ERR0R. Personality data not found. Recovering data from the surroundings. modifying 100% complete. Personality data complete.**

The figure stands up opening his wings. "Well, how do you look at that? Wings in a game like this. It can make one laugh..."

The wind of many players surrounding the figure after witnessing what happened with the player forced their hood off his body revealing their face to everyone. Majority of the players didn't care as they all readied their weapons.

"Hmph. Look at what came out of the shadows." The figure readies their twin swords before getting into a fighting stance. "Bring it on!"

Struggling With Myself

By: NexusMHX

Chapter 2: The Start

"Yo Goro. Have you heard about the mysterious figure to take down an entire town full of players by themselves?" Rika asks Goro while they were eating at the cafeteria.

"Can't say that I have. I've been more fixated on schoolwork then anything. But seriously. A mysterious figure took down a whole town by himself? Don't ya think that seems... a bit far-fetched?" Goro asks before finishing up his boxed-lunch and putting the container away. "I mean think about it. ALO's level system isn't really that great unless the level difference is really MASSIVE so even if it were like a whole town of noobs, why would they even do that? Doesn't make sense in the slightest."

"Yeah, the action didn't seem clear. This was actually a burntown." Rika explained making Goro really confused.

"A burntown?"

"Yes, a burntown. You know. One of the towns overrun with buffoons and such. Administrators tried to ban all of the guys in those types of towns but it's like more and more spawn up. And then this guy takes care of it no problem." Rika said before taking out a photo and showing Goro the article.

"Well for one thing, whoever took the photo is garbage. They can't even see the person's face," Goro comments before looking more into the photo. "You can't even tell what race this person is from. Hair color ain't exactly the big signs anymore."

"Yeah, it's almost like this person is keeping everything a secret."

"But they're wearing just a cloak... This person is bizarre." Goro said scratching his head before handing it back.

Nexus spawns into ALO before immediately walking towards to face some of the higher leveled scorpion mobs. He takes out his one-handed sword before preparing himself. He runs towards a scorpion and jumps on its head before slicing the stinger a few times which just so happens to be their weak point. Nexus then swings around the tail and stabs the body before slicing a massive cut on the back. The scorpion tries to grab him with its class but Nexus slices one of them off before stabbing it straight in the head as it explodes into pixels.

"Goodie…" Nexus says as he takes a look at the experience screen. "Time to speed these things along. I'm not getting to Level 100 anytime soon."

Nexus continues to fight through the scorpions for a decent amount of time before finally taking a break as he sees Yuuki coming over. "Yo! How's the grinding going?"

"Going decent actually. I'm level 41 after a bit and I'm slowly getting… there." Nexus looks to see Yuuki's level. "Level 87?!"

"I may have grinded a bit too much while waiting for you guys to come back so I'm playing with the others," Yuuki said with a small chuckle.

"A bit too much? You're 20 levels above what you were last time I logged in! How in the hell is that "a bit"?" Yuuki smiles like an idiot before sitting next to Nexus who took a massive sigh while deciding to change the subject a bit. "You know… I wonder if this process is going to take forever."

"Don't be like that. The grinding you're putting in is going smoothly. Soon you'll catch up with Kirito and the others. And in a little bit, you'll be able to catch me. Unless I decide to play a bit more." Yuuki says with a goofy grin on her face.

Nexus chuckles at the expression before shaking his head. "I was talking about my problem… My recovery from all of this. I'm not sure if I'll ever will. Guess I'm just too weak to really get anything accomplished. OW!"

Yuuki had smacked Nexus's back as he was groaning in pain. "Oi! Why the heck are you saying all of this stuff all of a sudden!? You never used to be this negative."

"I guess I changed a bit…"

"No… You're the same person I've known all my life. You're just going through hardships. Not just you, but Kirito, Asuna, Sinon, everyone including me." Nexus looks up at Yuuki meeting her eyes. "We all had each other though. I'll help you. As long as you need."

Tears start falling from Nexus's face as he wipes it away. "Thanks, Yuuki…"

"Can I ask you something? What's up with you and your back? It's like you have a massive problem with it whenever someone touches it." Yuuki questions.

"I have no idea what you're talking about? You're just smacking it really hard… It's probably your strength stat like what Kirito said." Nexus said brushing it off while wiping out the last of his tears. "I mean 60 levels are going to get something."

"And what about this?" Yuuki said rubbing Nexus's bag as he starts feeling a bit twitchy and shrivels up a bit before a massive explosion could be heard from behind the two as they both stand up. "What the hell was that?!"

Yuuki looks around to see a village is being attacked by a black dragon. "Over there!"

"Oh great! A dragon! That's the last thing I want to see right now!" Nexus said lying between his teeth. "Well… We got to save them!"

"Right!" The two activate their wings as they rush over to the dragon as it shoots a fireball at the village. "I'll draw its attention! You go attack from the behind!"

"You got it," Nexus says as he uses his controller to fly towards the village as he starts to lag behind. "Yuuki! Can you go any faster?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Hurry on ahead! I'm too slow. It'll be too late at this rate!"

"Sure!" Yuuki said before starting speeding ahead at a faster speed. She takes out her sword before slicing the dragon's head grabbing its attention as both drops to the ground. The dragon slices with its claws which were way too slow for Yuuki's speed as she dodges before slicing parts of the dragon with ease. She jumps onto the dragon's back and starts stabbing the head multiple times, forcing the dragon to shake its head violently before raising in the air and slams the back of it crushing Yuuki on the ground before flying into the air.

"Yuuki!" Nexus exclaims as he takes out his sword and slices the dragon before going towards Yuuki. "Are you alright?"

"I'm… fine. Felt like I couldn't breathe." Yuuki puts her hand over her chest letting out a sigh. "Thanks. I'm good now."

"No problem." Nexus said as he looks up at the dragon to see it stagger before raising its wings and flies off. "It ran away?"

"Well, we saved the village so that's good." Yuuki grunts standing up.

"I wonder. What was a dragon attacking this village all of a sudden?" Nexus questions looking off where the dragon is flying towards.

* * *

(The real world)

"Hacking a game such as this is easier than people make it out to be. Influencing a dragon's AI like that is nothing." A person in their mid-twenties was typing on their computer which was connected to their Amusphere. "Simple programs that these game makers make, are so… robotic. There's no soul into making these, no real passion. It's just a job to them. Nothing more than to just earn a little change into their back pockets used to waste their lives away. If you must make something, it must be that can live on for an eternity. MMORPGs can end in a simple pull of the plug, but the scale of things that ends an era is the thing that really gives everything fuel in life. A staple to go down in history… Something that truly gives me pleasure… satisfaction is historical events that shape humanity. SAO was a beautiful example… though it did not last and turned into a simple scandal. However, what I make will change everything. The people of Alfheim will come to learn of the person that made them all burn. You all will face the power of"

* * *

 **Hey guys! This is NexusMHX with another chapter of Struggling With Myself as we start really getting into the story. Writing this season is actually taken inspiration from a couple of games. Some of them are sort of classics so it might not get to everyone as they continue reading into this fanfiction but I'm just so stoked that I'm already writing the next part and boy is that one a doozy. Just to let you guys know, this is going to take place before/during the beginning segment of SAO: Lost Song. Which means some of this will impact that with everything here is my own original creation instead of aspects of other work being influenced into this. I honestly want to continue talking about what I've exactly have planned for this whole thing but I gotta be patient. If I spoiled, then you guys won't enjoy/read it and that would take a massive toll on my whole self-esteem though I'll just say that the title is going to be impactful. Small details are really going to say everything! With that being said. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode of Struggling With Myself! If you enjoyed, why not give this fanfiction a follow and a favorite for more content. This is NexusMHX signing out! Stay Classy my dudes!**


	19. Anathematized

A figure in a black cloak walks around a town which is in the Sylph territory. They walk through a market square to find multiple players going from one shop to another bumping into the figure multiple times as they fall onto the floor getting severely irritated by the minute. That was when an unsuspecting Player kicks the figure in the face knocking him back a bit on accident.

"Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't see you. Are you ok?" The player asks walking towards the cloaked figure offering his hand which was smacked away.

"Don't touch me." The figure said standing up before taking out his twin bow swords and slices the player without a second thought. Their health drops a bit as they jump back in instinct.

"What the heck!? How could I get injured like that? I'm in a safe zone! And in Sylph territory…" The player said before looking up to see the figure slices both of his blades at once, completely decapitating him without any remorse which so happens to catch the attention of every single player around him.

"Everything here is chaos and must be destroyed." The figure said before summoning their black wings before flying in the air. "Burntowns… That term in this game means a town in chaos, huh? Quite different from what I saw but it's the same."

The figure raises his hand as his hand engulfs in flames before connecting his swords and uses it as a bow with the bowstring being made out of magic as he aims straight at the town. "In infernis arderet. Surge a flamma!" He chanted as his arrow engulfs in flames before shooting it at the town causing a massive explosion.

"Is this a call, saying that Salamanders are waging a war on the Sylphs or is this rogue player found some kind of way to damage players in their own territory?" Kazuto said reading off from his phone. "Someone found a bypass in the system?"

"Whatever it is, it's massive if it is affecting it this much," Yuto comments sitting next to Koharu. "If more people can find out about this, all hell will be released in the game. Which means that something is up."

"If this continues… what would happen to the game?" Koharu asks.

"Well, a normal game would find the issue and patch it as soon as possible. And the person exploiting this glitch like this would most likely get a punishment of permanent banning or something else." Kazuto explaining before looking more into the article. "Huh? That's interesting. There's more to the article?"

"What? There's even more?" Yuto and Koharu ask looking at Kazuto.

"Yeah… Players from the Sylph nation came and fought with the figure after the explosion, which had killed hundreds of players with an unknown spell, and were all defeated. This is not the first incident of this kind but this is the only time where an accurate photo of the figure can be seen… Hold on a second. That can't be right." Kazuto squints his eyes as he looks into the screen a bit more.

"Is it someone you recognize, Kazuto?" Yuto asks receiving a slow nod. "Do we know them as well?"

"Yeah. Definitely." Kazuto shows his phone to the two. "It's~"

Struggling With Myself

By: NexusMHX

Chapter 3: Anathematized

Nexus logs in with a stretch before walking through a town browsing through a couple of shops for a couple of items. He casually browses for a few potions and other knick-knacks while hearing some strange talk behind him with more and he looks back as multiple people are giving him a weird look of disgust.

"Is that the guy who attacked that one Sylph town? He's just standing around pretty normal in their territory like it's no big deal." One Sylph player questions while she stares at him. "He doesn't look like a Salamander…"

"But he looks exactly like the guy from the photo." Another player commented back. "But your right. No one could possibly have that kind of fire magic if they weren't a Salamander."

Nexus turns around with a confused look. "What on earth are you guys talking about?"

"Crap he heard us!" The two said at the same time and runs off.

"Huh? What is that all about?" Nexus says before leaving the store into a crowded area where more and more players were giving him dirty looks and were all commenting the same thing. 'Ok… Is it pick on Goro day? What's going on?'

"Halt!" A player guard runs up to Nexus. "You're under arrest for the destruction of a town that belongs to the Sylph nation."

"Wait… Hold up a second. Which town are you talking about? Every nation has like a bajillion towns that they rule over. Plus how do you know it was me. There are thousands of players… Maybe someone has the same character qualities as me?" Nexus said trying to defend himself as a guard shows him a picture. "What the heck?! That's like pixel by pixel representation of me! Eye color, everything!"

"So you realized that? Then you're coming to me and you're going to explain how you were able to deal damage to players in their own nation while also being able to destroy it! I swear you pesky Salamanders." The guard said as he reached over to Nexus who jumps back.

"Hold up the phone! I am not a Salamander! So shouldn't that immediately take me out the table for possible suspects." Nexus said as the guard brushes off his claims. "Man… today is just not my day."

Nexus looks around to see more guards rushing over to the two. 'Great… My options are limited. And I can't just outspeed them, they're the quickest nation in the whole game. And logging out isn't good because they'll just take my body… Dang, it. I got no other options!'

Nexus summons his wings and flies into the air before trying to fly away with five guards giving chase. It wasn't long before one of them catches up with ease and swings his katana at Nexus who hastily counters with his sword. "Why don't you use your twin blades?!"

"Cause I don't have them!" Nexus comments kicking off that person's face before flying off before being intercepted by another guard who attacks with her dagger and almost stabs Nexus's eye which he had to grab in order to defend himself. He struggles to pull away as he sees another guard charging towards him as he uses his controller to spin the two around forcing the guard to attack the other one. This gives him enough time to move away.

"You're not getting away!" The fourth and fifth guard attack him from both sides leaving him making him unable to guard properly.

"Damn it!" Nexus said as he prepares to block one of the attacks before two figures appear on both sides and both the blows. "Eh?"

"Why is it that you are always getting into trouble like this?" Ren said with a grunt as he has his sword clashing with one of the guards.

"Ren?!" Nexus exclaims before looking at the other side to see Klein blocking the other blow.

"Yo bro! Need a hand?" Klein said with a smile before forcing his weight away before handing Nexus a teleportation crystal. "It has set coordinates. Let's go!"

"S-Sure." Nexus said as he takes the crystal while Ren pushes the other guard away before taking out his crystal.

"Teleport!" The three said as they all teleport away.

* * *

"Where the hell are we?" Nexus says as he looks around to see a cove which is not out in the open and actually quite hidden.

"Honestly. I have no idea. All I know is that this place is secluded. The Sylphs shouldn't find you easily. At least that's what Leafa said." Ren said walking around. "Apparently in the game, fairy outcasts would use this place to smuggle goods. So there is some kind of lore to this place."

"I see…" Nexus said before dropping down. "What the heck is going on?"

"Shouldn't we be the ones asking that?" The three look back to see Kirito walking towards them. "Do you mind explaining why you are supposedly accused of somehow destroying towns in Alfheim, but also killing people in said towns."

"Man, don't ask me. I don't understand why everyone was out for me like that. All I know is that I was out shopping for some items where I heard people talking about me before the guards came up." Nexus said before laying down on the floor. "Then Ren and Klein saved me."

"So basically you're as clueless as the rest of us? And here I thought that we'd learn something from all of this..." Kirito says with a sigh.

"Sorry I couldn't be any help…" Nexus sighs before standing up and looking around. "Wow… Looks like you guys got a little blacksmith area here."

"Oh, actually this is my shop. There was a lot of quality ores here and such and I made use of some of them for everyone's equipment." Lisbeth explains. "There's enough space for everyone to stay safe for some while."

"Ok… I got a question. Why exactly is everyone going crazy at Nexus?" Silica questions.

"Right. You don't really pay attention to the gaming news like everyone else. Apparently, Nexus has "blown" up towns and cities from every single nation." Sinon explains to Silica.

"And big brother over here has gained a bounty total of 1 million yrd," Hera comments as everyone stares at him. "Argo told me it was around there…"

"1 million yrd?! You can buy 2 cabin houses with that amount of money!" Koharu exclaims with a loud voice.

"No one here is going to take me in for some money right?" Nexus jokes as everyone stared at him. "Moving on. I'm not the one who is blowing up these towns so obviously someone is doing it with my face."

"So the problem which is finding this guy, right?" Leafa nods. "Ok… So we got to find a Salamander that looks exactly like Nexus."

"Perhaps we should nickname em so we cannot be confused… Like Dark Nexus or something like that." Klein proposes to the group.

"While the idea is great, the name is not good Klein," Strea adds in. "Evil Nexus?"

"Nexoo?" Silica pitches in with a few nods.

"What about Deus?" Philia said catching the interest of everyone. "I mean. D at the front of Nexus is like dark, removing the x. Plus it means a god which is technically what he is if he can destroy towns and cities which shouldn't be allowed because of the system."

"Can we all agree that Philia should name everything from now on? Raise your hand if so." Yuuki proclaims as everyone raises their hand making Philia blush.

"S-Stop that. It's embarrassing." Everyone laughs lifting off some tension on the situation.

"I don't know about calling an evil version of me a god... Honestly, Silica's was pretty good." Nexus said with a sigh before moving on. "We shouldn't just all group up and force everyone to look for this guy. That's not really fair to everyone but we don't have many options. We should split up and come back together when we have a good idea."

"You're right. How about we meet in about 30 minutes once we all thought up some ideas?" Kirito offers as everyone nods. "Alright then."

* * *

"I wonder… Why does Nexus always have to be blamed for so many things?" Silica asks with a sigh while petting Pina. "Back in SAO, everyone treated him horribly because of his situation and now someone is doing evil deeds and he has a bounty on him like he's some criminal. He's a nice person that cares for his friends. He wouldn't do something like this."

"Life is rough for people like that… Some people have it harsher than others. Nexus is not the only exception when it came to hardships during SAO." Ren said thinking back. "Most of the beta-testers were called out for stupid nonsense because people were driven by fear in the death game. This situation is sprouting on the fear of someone being able to play by their own rules… They bypass this system and continue this destruction for nothing but their own personal amusement."

"Plus the background Nexus had in SAO wasn't that great. He did work for Kayaba and not everyone knew about this." Koharu adds in. "Even with Sugou's trial, people didn't trust Nexus and gave him spite, about getting free protection while everyone suffered. It's not fair on the guy. Even at class, you can see some people giving him the occasional glare and people are trashing on him like there's no tomorrow… It's horrendous."

"I wonder how he's able to cope with everything." Silica looks towards Nexus who was slicing the air by himself as a mean of practice before Kirito walking towards him with a small pixie, Yui on his shoulder.

* * *

Lisbeth is swinging her hammer trying to enhance Yuuki's sword while she's watching it with Sinon and Asuna.

"You really seem into your work Liz," Asuna says as Lisbeth continues working without looking up.

"Well, it does help me think while I work. This whole situation is straight out weird as it is." Lisbeth said continuing to work on Yuuki's sword.

"Thanks again for all of your hard work," Yuuki said before thinking about it. "Say. How about we all do patrols and such? If we do that, we might catch him in the act."

"While patrolling may sound smart, we have no idea when he'll attack, especially if it is during school time, we can't do anything about it," Sinon said thinking about it.

"Yeah. And we would be separated from each other. This person is powerful from what everyone is saying. Don't think any of us can take them down alone." Asuna said with a frown. "We don't have a lot of options to really think of."

"Man this really makes the noggin think quite a bit. Why can't any of this be simple?! Why does everything have to be so complicated?" Yuuki said a bit loud to trying to relieve some frustration in her body.

"I know how you feel. These situations can really get annoying fast." Lisbeth swings her hammer before thinking about it. "You know, Yuuki's idea is honestly the only real option we have. We can't bait the guy cause we know nothing about him."

"Perhaps that's our only option left…"

* * *

A figure appears in a town before walking off as fast as he the outskirts and into a black wasteland surrounded by the bones of many massive creatures. He walks around the area until he reaches a hidden passage before reaching a massive stone tower that cannot be seen until you are really up close to it.

"The perfect location for my plan. No one can fly in this territory so no one will ever find this area… The start of my plan is about to begin. Are you ready, Dark Nexus?" The figure said as another version of Nexus says walking towards him while crossing his arms.

"It is fitting, to say the least." Dark Nexus grunts while looking around. "If your plan is to take down all the nonsense in this world, then I'll support your plan for now. Just don't get in my way."

"No worries there but I want you to catch the attention of your lookalike. Back in SAO, he was quite the pesky person. If we capture him early, our plan will be a success."

"What about Kirito or Asuna or the other players that they hang out with? They are no slouches in power as well." Dark Nexus says as the figure turns around.

"Indeed but they do not think like him. He is intelligent. His friends stand no chance against my power, but him. He is an anomaly and must be dealt with at once. Plus wouldn't you like to take care of him yourself?"

"You got that right." Dark Nexus said before turning around and walking by himself. "Nexus the multi wielder. I'll show you what I'm made of. The destruction of your name is just the beginning of what I have in store for you."

* * *

 **Heyo guys! This is NexusMHX with another chapter so soon after the previous chapter of Struggling with Myself! If you guys didn't get it by now, the title has a double meaning which is honestly not all that surprising now that I think of it and kinda obvious... Still the meaning of the title is that Nexus has his psychological problems from PTSD is definitely a thing that needs a lot of work and struggling with that is a challenge, but Nexus is literally struggling with a dark version of himself… To be honest, not a lot of thought went into that sort of thing when it came to the title, probably one of my biggest struggles is making the title.**

 **So how exactly is the arc going to be portrayed… Everyone is going to have a rival of some sorts. Ya think that I'm joking but really I'm not. Every single character will have their own person that they have to fight in order to win against, whoever this figure is and against Dark Nexus. Struggles, both in the real world and the virtual world are definitely going to be aspects when it comes to this game. But that won't stop me from giving the characters a break every now and then. I'm not a fucking savage and force everyone to endure hardships without any sort of way to relaxation. How I will implement it all is still to be determine but don't you guys worry, I'm trying my absolute best! But that will be for next time. This is NexusMHX signing off for now! If you liked this chapter, why don't you give me a follow and favorite for more content and don't forget to comment cause I like to hear more criticisms to help me improve my craft! Stay Classy!**


	20. Dark Nexus

"You know. If I'm this hated, maybe I should run for Diet." Nexus chuckles as he hides in a bell tower at a Sylph town. "You know… Maybe that might be a good idea. Political science can actually be quite interesting. But knowing my rotten luck, all of these things with me is going to raise so many political scandals."

"Knowing it, I would be the one behind all of those scandals." A familiar voice appears from behind Nexus. He looks behind him to see his eye wide. "What? Wasn't expecting me? I thought the whole point was to find me."

Nexus takes his sword and tries to swing at Dark Nexus who simply jumps in the air to dodge the slice before landing on Nexus's head giving him enough speed before flying off. "Hey! Get back here!"

"Nah. How about not!? Catch me if you can!" Dark Nexus smirks before flying off as Nexus sprouts his wings before chasing after him.

A player looks up at the sky and sees Nexus flying off before messaging nearby authorities.

Facing Myself

By: NexusMHX

Chapter 4: Dark Nexus

"Well look who finally caught up?!" Dark Nexus swings a few times at Nexus who blocks the strikes.

"Man! What is your problem?!" Nexus exclaims clashing blades with his dark counterpart in the clouds.

Dark Nexus smirks before breaking off the clash and kicks Nexus away. "It's nothing special really! I just don't like someone copying my act!"

"What the hell are you talking about?! You're a copy of me!" Nexus argues back while chasing Dark Nexus.

"If that were really the case. Tell me this. If I was a copy, why would I kick my own butt?" Dark Nexus chuckles before flying off at faster speeds.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Nexus mutters while looking at his flying controller with disgust.

"That's enough, Nexus!" A voice comes from behind Nexus as he turns around. "Come quietly and face trial."

Nexus notices a few other players surrounding him as he grits his teeth in anger. "I don't have time to deal with you all. I need to catch him!"

"You won't be tormenting anyone else!" A Sylph player said before grabbing Nexus's arm. "Sayaka would know what exactly to do with you!"

"Careful! Just because this is Sylph territory doesn't mean that he can't hurt you." Another player warned as the girl Sylph player nods before starting to lock up Nexus.

"Enough!" Nexus readies out his sword forcing everyone to react. He had tried to tug his arm away to no avail and was soon running out of options as he cuts his left arm off before starting to fly off away from the players who were all in shock at what they had just witnessed before realizing that he was getting away and started chasing after him.

After a good few minutes of Nexus trying to outmaneuver his pursuers, he sees Dark Nexus floating in the middle of the air while having a bow out. He pulls the quiver and it looks as if he's aiming at Nexus who prepares to dodge. The arrow flies hitting a guy player straight in the head who immediately engulfs in green flames. Everyone looks towards the archer who lets out a smug expression before flying off with Nexus following close behind.

"Awh! What happened?! Do you need a HAND, Nexus?" Dark Nexus chuckles before swinging his bow at Nexus who counters it with his sword.

"Really? Hand puns!? Is that the best you got?" Nexus grunts before getting a quick slice at Dark Nexus's chest. "Got ya."

Dark Nexus looks at his chest and sees the torn clothes. "I got to HAND it to you, Nexus. You're HANDLING being down one hand pretty well."

"..." Nexus doesn't muster a response back to the horrible puns.

"What? Not good?" Dark Nexus asks before seeing Nexus moving back a bit. "Oh come on. Those were good."

"Shut up!" Nexus charges at Dark Nexus causing a massive spark of energy around them. Yu keeps the strength up pushing Dark Nexus down closer to the ground. They swiftly make their descent to an old temple in a loud crash with old pillars falling.

"Not bad… Perhaps I should drop the jokes and start getting serious!" Dark Nexus mutters on the floor being kicking Nexus into a wall causing it to crumble. He stands up before brushing himself and readies his bow which splits into two short swords.

"At least you know when to stop joking around. So Nexoo… Why are you doing this?" Nexus asks receiving a confused look from Dark Nexus.

"I'm sorry… Nexoo? Who are you talking about? Is there someone with a stupid name like that around?" Dark Nexus questions before seeing his counterpart pointing his finger at him. "Are you kidding me?! There are a lot of nicknames to call me and you chose Nexoo?! What kind of name is like that?"

"It's a mixture of Nexus and two. Silica thought of it. Seems fitting as you're my evil clone. Plus you're ruining my reputation in this game. I'll call you whatever I want as long as it insults you!" Nexus raises his sword before getting in a samurai-style stance putting his blade up. Nexoo holds his two swords with one in a reverse grip than the other.

"Fine if you want to play it that way." Nexoo smiles.

"Let's do this!" Both of them exclaim with all of their might. The two charge at each other with their blades gripped heavily as the two look-alikes swing their blades at the same time making sparks flying in the sky from contact. Neither left any room for the other to even have a small breather.

Nexus ducks down, dodging a slice before switching his grip in reverse for a counter slice which was blocked by the other blade. Nexoo kicks him a few feet back before jumping in the air and spins around waving both of his swords at the same time. Nexus recovers quickly before slicing vertically causing the two into another clash. They each push their blades trying to get the advantage over the other with neither budging in the slightest. Nexoo lightens his strength behind the clash causing Nexus to be able to push him back as he flips in the air and tosses one of his swords cutting Nexus's cheek a little. Irritated by it, Nexus rushes towards Nexoo who runs towards a wall and runs off it before backflipping and grabs his sword before grinding the two swords on the floor giving a rather raspy sound. He slowly starts speeding up to Nexus who charges as well before swinging their weapons wildly. Both people would do their best to try and land a hit on the other and both of their hps started to drop by a considerable amount but neither of them would lighten up their slices as they kept on the flurry. Soon both of their hp levels were in the red as Nexus slices, trying to unleash the finishing blow which is blocked by Nexoo who made an "X" with his two swords. Nexus who was desperate to win, did his best to overpower Nexoo by moving his blade forcing his counterpart to move his and eventually disarms him causing the two swords to drop, side by side next to him. Nexus lets out heavy breathing before aiming his sword at Nexoo's neck who takes a step back.

"Oi! Stop! Stop!" Nexoo exclaims before feeling his back against the wall with no options left for him.

"I win. And you have a lot of questions that I would like to ask you. If you don't mind." Nexus says having the blade be inches away from this lookalikes neck. "How are you able to destroy all of those cities? How is it possible? Why did you choose to look like me specifically?! Answer me!"

"You think that you'll get anything from me?! **OFER ZAT BLYAT!** " Nexoo exclaims before engulfing in flames and his hp goes to zero before exploding into crystals. Nexus looks at the crystals before jumping back.

"He's an NPC? What the hell is going on?!" Nexus yells out before dropping down onto the floor with an exhausted look as he looks up to see the moon and a shadow of a figure slowly descending on him.

"What are you doing down here, exactly?" Yuuki questions looking over her boyfriend with a confused expression. "We were supposed to meet with the others back at the base 30 minutes ago."

"I had a me situation. A literal me situation. Nexoo was a pain in the ass, that's for sure." Nexus coughs before trying to get up as a crystal shatters and he gains all of his hp. He looks at his left arm to see that it has fully grown back.

"You faced him?! Did he tell you anything? Where is he then?" Yuuki asks with her boyfriend shaking his head before letting out a sigh. "Nothing good?"

"Yep. As soon as I was winning, I started asking him some questions and he went all harakiri at me. What the strangest part would be when he died." Nexus said looking at where Nexoo once stood before walking towards the place. "He didn't die like a normal player. This person that we're facing. He's an NPC or an AI of sorts."

"Wait a minute. So you're saying that your lookalike is not an actual player? That could explain how he's able to destroy all of those towns and cities." Nexus looks at his girlfriend with confusion. "Since because he's an ai, he doesn't have to follow the rules that players have to face like destroying cities and such because the game…"

"Would consider that to be a random chance… Nice thinking Yuuki. Not even I thought about it like that." Nexus says before sitting down. "However there are some good news to this story. People were chasing me while I was chasing him. And I mean really chasing me down that I had to cut my arm off to escape from them."

"How is that a good thing? Wouldn't that have hindered you from catching Nexoo?" Yuuki asks with Nexus shaking his head.

"True but it benefitted us. Because they saw Nexoo with their own eyes." Nexus winks before Yuuki fully understand.

"OH! If they saw him, then they would be witnesses to the truth! We're slowly helping you!" Yuuki cheers before hugging Nexus. "We should tell the others about what happened today."

"Hell yeah, we should."

(3 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds later)

In a rather blue chamber, shards gather at a table forming a person before a bright light shines as Nexoo lays on the table. He groans before sitting off the edge of the table before seeing the figure from before tapping on a screen.

"Eugh… Is this how it feels to die? It feels so weird and groggy." Nexoo comments while looking at his hand. He grips it tightly before letting out a sigh.

"Instead of complaining about how it feels to die, be grateful that I get to revive you. Honestly, anyone could have been used and I decided to use you." The figure mutters with a rather irritated voice before tapping a few times on the blue screen. "However it seems that you were able to escape interrogation. Tell me. How close were you two?"

"Honestly. It could have been anyone who won our fight." Nexoo comments before the figure letting out hysterical laughter. "What's so funny exactly?"

"If he had a problem taking care of you like this, then I should have no problem taking care of him myself." The figure said before giving a two-handed broadsword to Nexoo.

"What the heck is this? I don't usually use two-handed weapons. I prefer dual-wielding swords." The figure looks at Nexoo with an irritated glance before Nexoo graciously take the sword. "What the hell are the stats on this thing? It's amazing!"

"That is one of the six weapons that I have created in this game. All of them can even rival the strongest weapon in the game, Excalibur. Perhaps even beat it." The figure said while tapping a few more on the screen. "Though I need someone to go out on a test run for me. Mind trying it out for me?"

"Yes, sir. I'll go right away." Nexoo grabs a hold of the cleaver and examines it. "Let's see what kind of damage I can do."

* * *

 **Wassup my homies! This is NexusMHX writing right before Anime Expo! I'm actually surprised that I was able to pull this out right before AX but here it is! The four days are right in front of us and those that are going, I hope you guys enjoy yourselves and make sure that you stay safe as conventions can be quite dangerous for certain reasons. In any case, back to this fanfiction. People who fight against their evil selves are usually cliche and such but I feel like I know what I'm doing. Plus I tried to make this kind of like Kid Icarus: Uprising style between Pit and Pittoo, kinda the Nexoo joke. In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed this episode of Facing Myself. If you enjoyed, I hope you follow/favorite/comment for more content... well after Anime Expo. In any case, stay classy!**


	21. The Weapon that Crosses Worlds

"Let's try this." Agil comments before swinging his ax as it glows a yellow color before slicing at the boar making it explode into pixels with a gust of wind following his swing. "Well. Sword skills seem perfectly fine in the game. Almost feels like SAO."

"Except that it's a bit slow ain't it," Klein comments after trying out Zekku on a few enemies. He moves his arms a bit before shaking his head. "It's definitely the same skills as SAO but it feels off."

"Perhaps you should learn to just deal with it. Instead of complaining." Nexus says walking towards the two.

"Easy enough for you to say. You probably play this game so much that you probably have gotten used to it." Klein looks over at Nexus before letting out a chuckle. "Whether it's you or Kirito. I can't catch up."

"You're telling me. Though why is it always you two that have to go through some crazy stuff." Agil said before sitting down resting a little on his axe. He looks up to Nexus before getting a little unsettling feeling from him as he stands up until he remembers. "Wait a second. You said you would be working with your family's restaurant."

"So that means…" Klein readies his katana.

Nexus smirks before taking out a black cleaver like sword continuing to walk towards the two. "Guess I've been found out. Oh well. Let's test this new weapon."

Facing Oneself

By: NexusMHX

Chapter 5: The Weapon That Crosses Worlds

"Oi! Get back here you son of a bitch!" Someone had yelled out while chasing Goro throughout the "SAO Survivor School". "Ya going to pay for what you've done to me!"

"How many times do I gotta tell you?! I'm innocent!" Goro yells back before turning towards the stairs and makes a small leap into the air. He lands before going down the rest of the stairs before making his way out of the school and runs into the trees. He lets out some heavy breaths before covering his mouth as he peeks over to see some students looking around for him. 'I cannot make a sound…'

"Oi! I think I hear something over there!" One of them says with footsteps going away from Goro. Until he was absolutely sure that he was alone, he let himself be able to breathe before falling onto his hands and knees taking deep breaths. He hears a faint rumble from his pocket as he takes it out and answers the call.

"This… is Go...Gor… Frickin hell. What do you want?" Goro barely lets out before falling onto his back and has his hand cover his eyes.

"Yo. It's Kazuto. Why are you out of breath?" Kazuto said on the other side of the phone as Nexus opens his eyes.

"I "killed" people in the game and they're mad." Goro lets out as both of them knew what it meant. "Where the heck are you? Asuna was wondering."

"About that. I had a meeting that I had to go to. It's better if you come as well. There should be black limo at the front of the school." Goro looks around the trees to indeed see a black limousine sitting right in front of the school's gates. "They'll take you where I'm at."

"Alright. Seeya…" Goro turns around to see the people that were chasing him happen to see him. "Ah, crap."

"What is it?" Kazuto questions as all he could hear was indiscreet yelling before a massive crash as the call ends.

"Is there seem to be a problem?" A figure says sitting across the table from Kazuto at a fancy restaurant.

"There are issues at the school. I figure you would know such a thing, Kikuoka." Kazuto looks at the well-dressed individual in front of him with a heavy aura around him as he fixes his glasses.

"Indeed. Though it would be better if we started with your friend. He is the one who caused this incident two days ago." Kikuoka looks at a few files on the table with a glare before sipping his coffee.

"You… are definitely eating a lot." Kazuto and Kikuoka say at the same time looking at Goro who was wolving down a plate full of mini sandwiches. Goro lets out a few muffled words before shaking his head and swallows his sandwich.

"I had no chance to rest… let alone eat anything all day. Don't patronize me." Goro says before taking a moment to finish the plate and wipes his mouth with a napkin. He looks up at Kikuoka before speaking. "So. What is it that you wanted to see ME of all people? This better not be about ALO and you're an admin trying to shut me down."

"Nothing of the sort. In fact, I know for certain that you're innocent, Goro Iwahashi." Kikuoka states before handing the files to Goro. "I would like for you to take a look at these. They are quite disturbing cases, to say the least."

Goro was a little confused at what Kikuoka meant before opening the first file and something made him feel like he hadn't eaten all of those sandwiches. "W-What the hell?"

"As you can see, here is a case of your friend Ryoutarou Tsuboi otherwise known as Klein is shown with massive internal organ damage from what appears to be a stab wound. But no external wound was found in his body." Kikuoka explains to Goro as he read the report. "Luckily he is being hospitalized by one of our professional doctors as we speak."

"Hospitalized… How the hell did this happen?!" Goro says catching the attention of the people around the group as Kazuto covers his mouth.

"Watch it! I know how you feel but we gotta keep it under wraps!" Kazuto whispers before letting go.

Goro shakes his head before opening another file revealing Andrew Gilbert Mills otherwise known as Agil with a similar case to Klein. He couldn't believe what he was seeing as he looked through more files seeing people with similar occurrences to his friends before reaching a file that was bigger than the others. He opened it to see papers of people deceased from the very same thing… internal organ damage shaped like a slice or stab.

"As you can see… this is definitely not natural and it's spreading like wildfire to those that are playing ALO when they have received these wounds." Goro looks up at Kikuoka who could only shake his head in disgust of the contents of this files. "Most of the victims are unconscious except for Ryoutarou who was able to give us details about what might have caused it."

"And that would be?" Goro barely manages to ask as Kazuto was the one to answer.

"You… attacking him and Agil with a black cleaver like sword. Every attack that he was able to get on Klein… he felt it as if he was really being sliced… stabbed in real life. Luckily he didn't manage long so he didn't suffer too much." Kazuto says looking down at his drink. "Honestly, that's the best we can afford right now until we find out where you doppelganger is or even how he was able to get something like that."

Kikuoka looks at the two before intruding his way back into the conversation. "Kazuto had told me earlier that you faced your clone and he turned out to be an artificial intelligence. Is that correct?"

"Y-Yeah. That's right. He died like an NPC which would explain how he's able to bypass certain systems… But destroying structures and other such. I have no idea how he's doing that… or how he was able to do all of this." Goro looks at the documents before handing them back to Kikuoka. "This is what you wanted to show me?"

"It's a precaution for you. If you were to face him again in the game, I ask that you prepare for the worst. And obviously, I recommend that you two tell your group about this. For their safety. Now if you'll excuse me." Kikuoka stands up to leave. He feels something tugging his arm as he looks over at Goro.

"How do you know all of this? Who the heck are you?" Goro looks at Kikuoka.

"No one of interest," Goro waits a minute before letting go as Kikuoka leaves both Kazuto and Goro to themselves.

"What do you make of this? Bypassing the system is one thing… by crossing between game and reality. How the hell does someone do that? It makes no gosh darn sense." Goro looks at Kazuto who couldn't answer. "Guess we got nothing. The only thing we can do is tell the others before they get hurt..."

"Something else is eating you up?" Kazuo asks.

"Obviously. It has to do with Yuuki. Her body is frail. If dark me were to do something to her, I'm not sure she can take it… It scares me." Goro grips his arm as he tries to think of what he can do.

"Goro…"

* * *

"Your weapon is a masterpiece! I'll tell you that!" Dark Nexus exclaims walking into the room. "Honestly it was actually really easy to use. I had no trouble testing this out."

"My work are all masterpieces. I've already told you." The figure says before opening up a panel that has admin permissions. "It's intriguing that this game has pain absorption."

"Obviously. If players actually felt pain, this game wouldn't be doing so hot. And this baby happens to bypass that, right? I could tell from the looks on their faces when I was swinging."

"I find it intriguing that there's even pain in this game. Pain is a symbolism that may react with a multitude of emotions. But most importantly fear. Fear is a powerful emotion that symbolizes when someone is in danger." The figure looks at the settings seeing a bar that goes from zero to ten. "This will help me plan for the future. But before that. I have made something."

"Oh? What is it?" Dark Nexus asks before being shown a room where his eyes opened up. "Oh, my developer."

* * *

 **Wassup my homies! This is NexusMHX here with another chapter of Facing Oneself! Here is actually a more introduction of what's to come in this fanfiction and there is the mystery of how a weapon is able to pierce the body in both the game and real life. And somehow this weapon is able to pierce the pain absorber. You'll learn what's going on at a later date and a later chapter. But I have something that I need to tell you all, this is my last chapter before Summer Vacation is over so I will be posting less frequently. Until then, this is NexusMHX signing off! If you enjoyed, please follow/favorite/comment for more content. Stay Classy!**


	22. Stranger Things

"This… Is… All… Kinds… of… Messed… Up!" Nexus yells out unleashing multiple sword strikes with each word at a massive goblin as it explodes into a bunch of particles. He takes a few deep breaths before opening up his menu and register his movements. A notification tab shows up as Nexus briefly reads it.

"Original Sword Skill Registered. Processing it into the system. Please register the name for the sword skill." The notification tab says as Nexus and thinks about it. He types in a random name as another notification tab appears. "Original Sword Skill Accepted. Seven Upper Strike."

"Alright then… Let's keep on moving then." Nexus says before pressing a button on his menu to start recording again for another OSS. "If I do this right, I can spam certain sword skills."

"And since they do more damage then normal strikes, if you are on the constant assault, most likely, you'll be able to break through their defenses and win," Ren comments looking at Nexus doing different movements. "Though… If they manage to retaliate, you are most likely going to lose."

"It's a double-edged sword… Though I should also have some sword skills for proper combat. I wonder." Nexus thinks about it before logging off for a minute before appearing again. He tries different motions before tripping down and gets kicked into a wall.

"Ouch… That's gotta hurt." Ren flies over to his friend and helps him out. "What were you trying to do?"

"Omnislash… thought having it would be cool. Looks way harder then it does in the video game." Nexus chuckles stretching as he looks at his sword. "Maybe because it has to do with it being a broadsword."

"Hold on mate. Calm down for a second. What's with the sudden rush for getting stronger? You've been acting strange recently." Ren says looking Nexus straight into the eye.

"It's nothing really… It's Nexoo. I just want to make sure that I'm more prepared for next time…" Nexus says thinking to himself.

"Why are you worrying so much about him? You already beat him once. Surely you can do it again. Especially with all of us here." Ren comments folding his arms. "Something is off. You're twitching."

"S-So what. I do that sometimes."

"Your head subconsciously makes you twitch when you're nervous. My mom said that in her notes. Which means you're nervous right now. Something is eating you away mate. What is it?"

"It… On second thought. Let's hold off on that discussion." Nexus uses his wings as he takes out his controller before flying away with Ren following close behind. The two look over to see a few Sylph players were flying around. "It feels really weird to fly with a controller in your hand."

"You're taking advantage of the situation. Answer the question, will you?" Ren asks as Nexus looks down keeping his flight relatively steady. "You trust me, right? After everything that's happened in Aincrad."

"Yeah… I know. I'll tell you when everyone is together. Only then." Nexus mutters clenching the controller. "Why does something always happen? Can't we ever be normal after everything?"

Ren looks over at Nexus, not responding to that last statement as the two continue to fly towards the Hideout.

"Looks like everyone is here…" Kirito comments looking at the group with Silica raising her hand.

"Klein and Agil aren't here. Shouldn't we wait for them?" The small girl states as both Nexus and Kirito give off uneasy reactions to that statement.

"Klein and Agil aren't… going to make it. They're in the hospital right now." Nexus says before letting out a sigh as he sits down. Everyone was in shock about what they had just heard prior as Nexus relayed everything about his meeting to looking over the files of the people who were also affected. He could tell the group was quite uneasy from it but kept on going until he finally finished.

"That's what you meant by that… That's seriously messed up. It's basically SAO in a single person." Ren comments thinking about it stroking his chin, clearly disturbed about the situation.

"We don't really know if it's even the sword, to begin with… How is he even affecting people who're wearing the Amusphere?" Koharu questions with Kirito and Nexus shaking their heads.

"I have no idea… All I know is that he's able to do it. So we should always stay in pairs." Nexus says though thinks about it. "Klein and Agil were together when it happened too though."

"We'll be fine. You don't have to worry about us!" Yuuki yells out with Nexus looking at her. "We'll call everyone if we see him nearby."

"Yuuki! Can your body handle it?! Maybe it'd be better if…" Nexus says with Yuuki interrupting him.

"I'm not going to argue with you about this! I've handled SAO without any trouble, so don't worry about me, ok?" Yuuki states with a look of determination in her face. Nexus is speechless before slowly nodding his head.

"Fine… Asuna. Do you mind if you go with Yuuki? Kirito and I need to talk about a few things." Nexus asks with the Undine looking back.

"It's no worries, is it something else?" Nexus shakes his head to Asuna's question before nodding slowly. "Alright. Everyone be safe…"

"Same goes for you too. Today is just going to be grinding and getting stronger." Philia states as everyone nods.

Fighting Oneself

By: NexusMHX

Chapter 6: Stranger Things

"Jeez… Just when you think that everything is safe, this happens. Can't we ever catch a break?" Lisbeth comments flying slowly with Silica. The two were in the second area of the new Svart Alfheim that came with the new update.

"I know what you mean… It's one thing after another. I guess that's just life." Silica says slowly falling behind with Pina right next to her. Liz notices it as she slows down a bit. "Oh? Am I slowing us down?"

"No… It's fine. This whole thing is a lot to process. I wouldn't put it past you to be thinking about it." Lisbeth comforts her friend as the two drops to the ground to take a break. "You want to log off to really think about it?"

"..." Silica thinks about it a bit with Pina slowly floating to her head. After a minute, she looks at Lisbeth and shakes her head. "I can't leave you by yourself!"

"You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine!" Lisbeth says with a reaffirming smile.

"I made my mind up, ok?" Silica states.

"Silica…" Lisbeth says before nodding. "Alright then. I'm counting on yo-"

Before Lisbeth could even finish her sentence, the ground starts to shake. A gust of wind starts blowing in a circle creating a small sandstorm as Lisbeth and Silica do their best to not get pulled by the strong winds. The two activate their wings to fly away as nearby Scorpion enemies get pulled straight into the tornado. Pina was having a hard type keeping up with the winds as Silica grabs her before flying away.

"What the hell is with this wind?!" Liz grunts as the dust storm eventually dies down with the two girls looking over at where the massive tornado of a place stood. There were ruins that the two have never seen before. "What is that?"

"It gives off an eerie look. I don't remember that ever being there." Silica states letting go of Pina who flies towards the ruins. "Hey! Pina! Wait up!"

"Oi! Silica! Don't just leave me by myself like that!" Liz says as the two make their way towards the ruins before seeing a person laying on the ground, slightly covered in dirt. The two had recognized the figure, faintly as she slowly starts to get up. "Hey… Ain't that Rain?!"

"Eugh… My head." The red-haired duel blade wielder groans before standing up before turning around to see the two. "Silica… Liz? What are you two doing here?"

"We were doing some grinding and all. Are you alright? You were caught in that sand storm." Silica asks.

"I… I'll be fine. I just need to shrug this off." Rain says before turning around to the ruins with a confused look. "What's this… I don't recall this place ever being here."

"That's what we thought too. Want to go inside with us if you're feeling alright, now?" Liz asks while being concerned about the girl.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for asking. It's just a small peak, right?" Rain asks before slowly walking into the ruin with Silica and Liz.

The style of the ruins seemed rather different than the usual dungeons in ALO. The insides of the dungeons looked like a prison with four doors, that the group could see through to see a treasure chest in every single one of them. Everything about this dungeon screamed old, the rust on the metal doors, the holes on the walls made out of what appeared to be sandstone, and other such.

"You think this place would be something that everyone is talking about…" Liz comments as the three make their way through a large tunnel before reaching an area with a staircase.

The staircase leads to the door of a massive safe which looks bizarre to the three of them as it looks high tech and new. Too new and too advanced in terms of technology, almost like it's from the future.

"Something about this place just screams weird… We should go back and tell this to the others. Maybe Argo knows something about this." Silica says as the other two nods. The group leaves the ruins before teleporting away.

* * *

"Is that all you got, Kirito?!" Nexus exclaims jumping over Kirito, dodging his slice before activating one of his OSS, slicing a few times with Kirito countering it. However, by that time he finished countering, Nexus had activated a different OSS and uses Horizontal Square to slice around his opponent.

Nexus turns around to activate another sword skill to find Kirito activating a duel blade sword skill, readying to unleash a massive combo at his opponent. Kirito slices 9 times, each landing on the vulnerable Nexus as he flies back a bit before tapping his menu summoning a two-handed sword in replacement of his one-handed sword clashing with Kirito.

"This is what you had to talk to me about? You're testing your switching skills?" Kirito asks before breaking away and jumps back a bit.

Nexus readies his blade before standing across from Kirito with his two blades ready for the next attack. "Not necessarily. Just thought that we could kill two birds with one stone!"

The two run straight at each other, dodging blows with Nexus using his massive sword so move around getting in quick jabs at his opponent before slamming his sword straight at him. Kirito dodges sideways with the sword getting stuck into the ground. At this point, Nexus quickly fumbles with his menu and switches his two-handed sword for a dagger and clashes with Kirito.

"Then what the heck is it?" Kirito grunts before pushing Nexus back. He runs over to activate a sword skill with Nexus activating a sword skill upside down clashing with Kirito's sword causing a huge explosion.

"It's about… All of this!" Nexus grunts before landing on the ground and tries to trip Kirito. Kirito swiftly jumps back as Nexus stands up and switches to his rapier. "Ya ever thought that we shouldn't play these type of games… Seeing how all of this is going."

Kirito doesn't respond for a bit as he thinks about it. "I have honestly… But this is something that really connects us. This type of game brought all of us together… It's like our special bond. We have a couple of hiccups. That doesn't stop us, right?"

Nexus doesn't react before chuckling a bit. "S-Sorry… I'm sorry. Really I am. It's just that I never really thought of you as the sentimental type."

"Oi. What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that you're open." Nexus throws his rapier as it slightly scratches Kirito's cheek before letting out a small smile. "Guess I win this time."

"That was cheap… You caught me off guard by that! That's not cool!" Kirito exclaims as the duel ends with showing that Nexus is the winner.

"I know. I know! I'm sorry but I just had to! The moment was just too good to pass up." Nexus says walking past Kirito and picks up the rapier before looking at the lake. "Honestly. It almost feels like yesterday that I found out about Yuuki back at SAO and proposed to her."

"Yeah… It almost feels like yesterday that I married Asuna. I remember it wasn't anything big like yours… But it was definitely special." Kirito says looking at the ocean before looking to the right. "I didn't expect you guys to overhear our conversation."

Yuuki and Asuna pop up behind the rocks before slowly making their way to Kirito and Nexus.

"Aheh… Looks like you caught us. I think it was when I banged my head while they were fighting." Yuuki comments with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry. We really shouldn't have done that but we couldn't help but think what you guys wanted to talk about." Asuna comments looking at the two.

"Well… As you can see. Nothing too big. You don't need to worry about it. Just a little reminiscing." Nexus comments with a soft smile before getting a message from Liz as he looks at it. "Hey, guys… Apparently Liz and Silica found something interesting."

"Yeah, I just got the message just now," Kirito says looking through it. "They found Rain near some ruins that just appeared out of nowhere? That's strange, to say the least."

"A lot of things have been happening ever since my clone appeared. I've been seeing stranger monsters every now and then. Usually, I'm alone when this happens and yet they feel like they're on an equal level with me… Almost like they're human players except not." Nexus says thinking about it.

"What are you saying? That there is more to this then just Nexoo appearing? You think there is some bigger scheme in the mist?" Yuuki questioning about it.

"I don't know. It just seems all too weird to me. Maybe it's just stuff that they included in the new update. The message did say that new stuff was being added as secrets."

"Perhaps we should have Argo come here as well. Maybe she knows something that we don't. If she doesn't… then nobody knows." Asuna states as Kirito open his menu to send the message.

"This is going to be quite the meeting…"

* * *

"I've heard of the strong single enemies from a few of my clients… But I don't ever recall there being ruins in Wellgunde from a sandstorm." Argo states after listening to all the new info that Liz, Silica, and Rain gave to the group.

"When you said, high tech door… What exactly do you mean?" Sinon asks the three girls.

"About like something you would see in a futuristic game… Stuff like that. Something that shouldn't be here in ALO." Liz says thinking back.

"It definitely is bizarre. This is a fantasy game after all. Unless it's a bug that the admins left on accident while during maintenance. That's really the only thing that would make half as much sense as any other idea that I have." Ren comments.

"What you said does seem very bizarre? No matter how you look at it." Yui comments out of nowhere making the group kinda jump a bit.

"Yui?! I almost kinda forgot you were in Kirito's pocket." Leafa lets out a sigh of relief as the small pixie fairy transforms into her normal size.

"This ruins that you guys state is in the game files with the maintenance patch. So whatever is in it, is supposed to be in there."

"Yui is right. This seems too big of a thing to be overlooked. Whatever is there is meant to be there. It could be new lore and such." Koharu pitches in.

"Well, in any case, it didn't look like we couldn't access anything in there, right?" Kirito asks the three girls.

"Not a thing. All the treasure boxes were sealed by a locked gate but there wasn't a keyhole of any kind to open it." Rain responds.

"This means that certain conditions must be met. We should explore more of Svart Alfheim before we try opening these locks…" Kirito says before looking at the time. "Alright, if that's everything then meeting adjourned. Let's keep up the good work!"

"Right!" Everyone yells before breaking off into their own things.

"Well this sure took an interesting turn then I thought." Nexus comments before seeing Rain walking away. "Hey. You're Rain, right? Kirito and the others talked about you. I'm Nexus."

"Nice to meet you… I've heard a bunch of rumors and stuff about you. Is it true?" Rain asks with Nexus giving a look of confusion. "About the destroying cities and killing people in their own territories."

"Oh, that? No no no. That's an AI version of me… For some reason. I'm still working on the details myself on how this all came to be. But I can genuinely assure you that I am not a mass killer in my spare time." Nexus jokes slightly as Rain chuckles.

"You're an interesting one. Hope we see each other in the future. This place is safe under me." Rain says before activating her wings and flies away.

"Yeah. Seeya." Nexus comments before going through his inventory and goes through a few menus looking at all of the stuff before looking at all the OSS that he created and even he could tell that he might have made a little too much.

'Even with all the requirements and such, as long as I do the bare minimum… it registers.' Nexus thinks to himself before waving at his friends before logging out.

* * *

Goro grunts as he takes the amusphere over his head before putting on a jacket. He unplugs his electric skateboard before exiting the house and starts riding it all the way towards the hospital which took about half an hour.

Goro gets off his skateboard and picks it up, leaving it hanging under his arm before entering. Visiting hours were almost over as people were starting to leave as Goro makes his way to the front desk with a nurse looking at him with a confused look.

"I'm here to see Andrew Gilbert Mills please," Goro asks as the woman instantly realizes as she writes down a room number and heads towards the elevator. He makes his slow ascension to the 3rd floor before exiting and walks down a hall to keep track of the room number until he reached it to see, Kikuoka sitting in all of the empty chairs. Goro makes his way and sits next to Kikuoka.

"Glad that you could make it, Goro. I'm surprised that you agreed to this meeting so suddenly this morning." Kikuoka states with Goro letting out a sigh.

"I'm mostly here to make sure that Andrew is ok. How's he holding up, exactly?" Goro asks with a slight bit of worry.

"The doctors were able to stop the bleeding and he's fit to leave the hospital tomorrow morning. It's the same with your other friend, Ryoutarou. Though I heard that he left this afternoon."

Goro looks at his phone hoping that he was missing some messages to find none. "I wished that he would have at least texted us, letting us know that he was going to leave today. In any case, why did you want to see me on such sudden notice?"

"Well, it happens to revolve around your clone. My organization has decided to do some research for ourselves before contacting the administrators of Alfheim Online to see if they could find anything on your supposed twin."

"And? What exactly did you find?" Goro asks as Kikuoka remains silent.

* * *

"Well ain't this the special toy. With just one stab, they go screaming in agony. How exactly does it work?" Nexoo asks the figure who continues working on a throne-like chair.

"It revolves around the system's pain absorption. It's better if you have some kind of visual appearance." The figure opens up a menu showing Nexoo a bar ranging from one to ten. "This game, people can experience pain with normal things. Punches, stabs, cuts, et cetera. This system is what suppresses the damage that we take from those such things. Ten having the most absorption while zero having none."

"So how exactly does that revolve around this cleaver? Does it change this meter when it comes in contact with an opposing player?"

"Something of that regard, yes. However, there are certain aspects that aren't perfect. But yes, it changes the pain absorption meter for that singular player from ten to zero for only as long as that blade harms them in any way shape or form. Even blunt force will work if you use just the handle. That is why the victims that you have tested on have experienced real-life damage to their bodies, mostly internal bleeding. Depending on where you stabbed them, it greatly depicts how likely they are to death." The figure continues to work on a monitor as Nexoo's interested is caught.

"You've constantly been working on that every time I'm here. What exactly are you working on? It intrigues me." Nexoo asks as the figure looks at his direction.

"I suppose you can see part of it. Your input may actually be quite useful." The figure stands up and turns the menu towards Nexoo as he reads through. "Now you see why it has taken the time it has taken? This is such a delicate process. Even the slightest mess up can cost us this whole plan to fail. I must see this plan through."

* * *

 **Wassup my homies, this is NexusMHX with another chapter of Struggling With Myself! Writing this chapter actually went really smoothly as I really started to develop the plot more than just what Nexoo. I mean, I wouldn't just have written all of that character interactions between Nexoo and the figure just for nothing without explaining a few things myself. Sure having people theorizing is fun and all, but if I do that, I'm just going to drop people's expectations with my garbage writing. I also inputted where exactly, this is taking place in the SAO-Game canon which is right around the middle of Lost Song. I also gave Klein and Agil a swift recovery, even though medical technology improved in that aspect, I feel like those better methods would have been found to ease suffering or stuff like that. Also, the wounds that Agil and Klein received weren't too fatal but still required some medical assistance. And also the process in it of itself making the cleaver have the damage modifier change from 10 to 0 was incomplete so there was a reason for what I'm doing. With that being said, thank you for reading this chapter. If you enjoyed, make sure to follow/favorite/comment for more monthly content. This is NexusMHX signing off! Stay Classy!**


	23. The Unrelenting

"There's more than one?! Don't you think that someone would catch something like that?!" Nexoo exclaims looking at a few data files. "Why did you create so many of them? For what purpose is there?"

"To occupy Nexus and his allies. And to make sure that I can replicate the code without attracting someone's attention." The figure says as he looks through a monitor and opens up, revealing three figures, each with similar weapons to what Nexoo had. There was a fourth figure which confused Nexoo.

"Huh? The last guy just has a Divination. That weapon ain't shit. What's up with that?" Nexoo asks.

"That one is a special case. He's meant to guard a certain area that had appeared." The figure says, shaking their heads. "It is a stage in my plan… A backup in case something goes wrong."

"You're a cautious one…" Nexoo says before looking at the four figures. "These are also A.I. as well?"

"Yes. However, they have been programmed with a code that I created and tested. So that way, this would work to my favor." The figure takes off their hood revealing a rather mature-looking individual with straight black hair and glasses. "What I have here, is something that I WILL see to light."

"Hmph. As you say, mate… You know. From the whole time that we're with each other, you never bother to give me a name to call you." Nexoo looks over at the figure. "It's getting rather annoying, calling you by just "hey, you"."

"You never bothered to ask me. For an A.i., you're rather dumb." The figure says looking at Nexoo. "But fair enough. You will call me Galath."

Facing Oneself

By: NexusMHX

Chapter 7: The Unrelenting

Yuuki clashes with a boar-like creature with her longsword with a grunt as it engulfed in energy. She unleashes Vertical Square, slashing a vertical square at the boar's chest. The boar explodes into a cloud of pixels, slowly disappearing into the sky.

"That's another one… These enemies are way stronger. Especially after what happened after the last update." Yuuki lets out a grunt. She looks at her exp box which shows a rather dramatic amount of exp gain compared to other mobs. "And they're giving out more exp. Ain't that helpful for how much harder they're getting."

"Yuuki!" Nexus flies towards Yuuki before slowly descending on the ground with his controller. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you."

"Oh. I was just dealing with a few monsters." Yuuki says rather casually as she puts her sword away. "So what's up?"

"Well… The fact is that something came up. Apparently, I saw a few figures enter the temple that Lisbeth and Silica were talking about." Nexus crosses his arms. "And I felt that something was off. So thought I come here and grab my favorite tag partner and check it out. Ya in?"

"Nexus," Yuuki says while crossing her arms. "The fact that you think that I would ever decline. I'm rather hurt by that you know?"

"Aheh. I just thought that you might have been busy or something." Yu says scratching his cheek with a chuckle. "Anyways. Follow me. You've never been there before, correct?"

"Yeah, I've never been to the desert area… I've been busy doing other things." Yuuki says as both of them start flying towards the teleport gate.

"Oh, that's right. The others play this game, now. Ain't that, right? Tecchi and Jun told me just the other day." Nexus says with a small smile. He uses his controller to control his flight as he tries to keep up with Yuuki.

"Yeah. Sorry that I didn't tell you. It's just that, it has been so long since we last played with each other. It's kind of the reason why I'm not hanging around with you and the others recently." Yuuki apologizes.

"Nah. It's fine. I don't care how you spend your time, all I care about is that you're alright." Nexus says with a calm smile as he sees the teleport gate surrounded by a few players who were prepared. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me. The hell is all this?"

"Oi! There he is! Get him!" The group of players yells out as Nexus takes out his sword with Yuuki doing the same.

"This is like… the fourth time this has happened." Nexus says rather irritated. None of the players was relatively high level. Their strategy was like a boss fight, have a bunch of people group up together and take down one stronger enemy.

One of the players, a gnome takes out his massive axe and slams it straight at Nexus, pushing his way down. A few of the sorcerers prepared a few spells to attack Nexus while he was pinned down. Yuuki did try to stop them before getting pushed back by a few other players.

"You're rather strong in duels... But against a group of us, you stand no chance! Why are you even helping him?" One of the players says clashing blades with Yuuki.

"I know that he's innocent! You're blindly following what other people are saying! Not even giving him a chance to explain himself!" Yuuki grunts, slicing the player's blade away.

"You can say that… but aren't you also blindly following what Nexus is saying? You're no better than us. For all we know, he could be doing all of this chaos." The gnome says pinning Nexus to the floor. "It could be his retaliation to everyone that thought of him wrong!"

"I am not that frickin petty!" Nexus takes out his knife, slicing the gnome's eye with a purple light. He sees the sorcerers shooting their attacks as he uses the gnome to protect him from some. However, the gnome's hp didn't last long enough. After he exploded into pixels, Nexus takes a few of the magic blows, bringing his health to yellow and knocking him back.

Nexus tosses his knife at one of the sorcerers, stopping his incantation before taking out his one-handed sword. It glows a light blue color as he gets ready to charge straight at them.

'Vorpal Blade. One of my more professionally made sword skills… An eight-hit AOE sword skill that temporarily stuns an enemy. However, it requires a small period to charge and if I'm hit, the skill automatically ends.' Nexus looks straight at his opponents who were now trying to charge another spell.

"What the hell is he doing?" One of the player's questions looking over at Nexus.

"Hey. You should be paying attention to me!" Yuuki says jumping back a bit as her sword engulfs in bright purple light.

"Huh?!" The players look over at Yuuki before screaming in fear.

"Mother Rosario!" Yuuki stabs four times at one of the players, as he explodes into pixels. She spins around before thrusting six times at another player. They also exploded into pixels. Yuuki turns around one more and shoots a massive impact that makes one last sword player explode into pixels.

"That was from one sword skill?! That was eleven hits!" The sorcerers exclaim before looking over at Nexus.

"Vorpal Blade!" Nexus runs around the group of sorcerers before slicing at multiple different angles, at high speeds. He jumps back before spinning around before giving out a massive slice before jumping back. He swings his sword as the group of sorcerers explode into pixels simultaneously.

There was one last player looking at both Nexus and Yuuki. Their face turns rather pale before running towards the teleport gate and teleports away.

"Eugh… This is getting more annoying every single time." Nexus lets out a sigh. He rubs his neck with a groan. "Honestly… Every single time, a player comes at me, it's really pissing me off!"

Nexus throws his sword, piercing a bit of stone. He lets out a loud yell of frustration before dropping to the ground, banging his fist on the dirt.

"Every single time! Like everyone is treating me like dirt!" Nexus bangs the ground. Yuuki kneels down to comfort him, holding him in a tight grasp. Nexus remains silent before finally muttering in a soft voice. "In Aincrad… I knew the consequences of my choices. But this. I can't handle everyone hating me… The persecution in-game and outside… I don't know what to do."

"Outside? What do you mean by that?" Yuuki looks over at Nexus with a worried look. "Are you saying that people are harassing you?"

"I… " Nexus stutters a bit before shaking his head trying to avoid the question. "It's fine. Let's just hurry over. Teleport Wellgunde."

* * *

The two teleports to the desert island with a massive gust of hot, dry wind blew their face. Nexus lets out a cough as Yuuki stands up. She wanted to say something but decided against it. Nexus looked like he wasn't in the mood, nor willing to talk about the subject.

Yuuki clenches her fist into a ball in frustration, unable to help Nexus he would he even let her try. She opens up her wings and zooms towards the temple. Nexus felt close behind, slowly falling behind with his constant reliance on the controller.

Nexus and Yuuki land a bit away from the temple to see that a few guards blocking the entrance. The guards looked out of place, they were fantasy creatures, horsemen, trolls, ogres, but none of them really felt like the style of fantasy compared to Alfheim Online.

"I've never seen them before… What are they?" Yuuki questions as Nexus eyes glowed yellow.

"I have a low leveled trace skill. But I should be able to identify their level and name." Nexus tries to scan the figures, to find that their level is around 150, giving an estimate due to his low trace skill, but their names were just popped up as "error". "What the hell? It's just listed as error?"

"Is it another glitch? Another problem?" Yuuki questions with Nexus looking over. His eyes turn normal as he lets out a groan of pain for using the skill for a long time..

"It's getting ever more confusing. Something is definitely wrong. The system says that they're monsters… yet they look so realistic." Nexus says taking out his one hand sword. "Let's go ask a few questions."

Nexus and Yuuki make their way towards the creatures. The creatures turn their heads and turned immediately aggro as two of them charged straight at the two players.

"Take one each!" Nexus says, jumping over an incoming blow from a mace. His sword engulfs in light and Nexus slices a few times, though he realizes that his blows were barely doing any damage at all. He lands behind the massive troll as it swung its mace, multiple times, with Nexus constantly dodging.

Suddenly, Nexus engulfs his blade in light and smacks the mace back with Slant, knocking the creature back. An aura glows around the massive troll. Nexus slices four more times which suddenly dealing more damage from before. So before anything else happens, he activated Horizontal Square, slicing four times making a square formation around him. He goes for another strike, only for the creature to get into a sudden defensive position that Nexus couldn't penetrate. The troll suddenly slams their mace at Nexus, scraping his sides as he jumps back.

The other troll slams what seemed to be a stone pillar at Yuuki. She jumps up, and lands on the pillar and lands a few strikes that do minimal damage. She jumps over the trolls head, slicing at different angles. She lands on the ground and readies and parries a few strikes from the troll. She took the initiative of activating Mother Rosario and used the OSS straight at the massive troll, killing it with the massive hit count and damage.

"Why can't I hit it?!" Nexus exclaims as he slams his blade, parrying blows with the troll. Yuuki takes notice of this as she tries to help Nexus only for a massive blue barrier to surround the two figures.

"What?!" Yuuki says before turning left to see a knight, with a horse for a head charging straight at her with a battle-ax. Her blade glows purple as she spins around to counter the attack, before being kicked away.

"Oi! The hell that you think that you're doing?!" Nexus slams the massive club away as the blue aura glows around the troll. "There! Slant!"

Nexus's blade charges red as he pierces the massive troll with all of his might, cutting it in half. The creature explodes into pixels. Nexus turns around to see Yuuki was dealing with the horse warrior as he tries to jump in, only to be blocked by the same barrier that blocked Yuuki earlier.

"Can you only fight these in one versus one battle?!" A sword pierces Nexus's stomach before he had a chance to think any more about it. He looks behind him slowly to see one of the mobs had randomly turned aggro on him.

"Nexus!" Yuuki blocks an attack before the aura pops up as she slices a few times, with the monster exploding into pixels.

"D-Don't worry about me right now! Go ahead and get inside! I'll take care of this thin and join you!" Nexus gets kicked away from the blade. He slams on a small hill of sand. "These monsters... are definitely not normal. You gotta find what's inside."

"What about you? I'm not going to leave you behind!" Yuuki counters with Nexus shaking his head.

"It's fine! He's aggro at me. Just hurry up and get inside." Nexus chants a small spell that slowly heals him as he stands up, looking at the warrior. "Three bars of health? What the heck is this nonsense? Just hurry up. This is going to take a while."

"Alright. You better take him down!" Yuuki heads on inside the temple to see a few cells that were lit up with a specialized light mechanism. It looked more like technology rather than magic. She looked rather confused as she looks inside the cell to see, both a treasure chest and a monster that was similar to the ones that were outside.

Yuuki tried to open the doors, but they wouldn't budge. A symbol appeared on the door, revealing an interesting looking sword that caught her interest. She turns around to see three more cells, one requiring a helm, a piece of armor, and a shield. They all looked off to her so she ignores it for now as she sees a hole in the wall.

"This place is really weird. It's like this place is meant for a technical type of game, rather than a fantasy game. What is all of this?" Yuuki walks through the hole to see a figure in a golden suit of armor standing near a pit. 'A player? How did they get here with all of those creatures in the front, being severely aggro?'

The figure looks over at Yuuki and takes out a sword and shield, with the same tone of color as their armor.

"Hey! Hold on a second!" Yuuki takes out her sword to block the incoming strike. "Are you a monster?"

"You shouldn't have come here." The figure said, slams their sword at Yuuki who walks back slowly. She blocks each attack while gritting her teeth. "You are in an area where your god does not allow you to be."

"God? What are you talking about?! Nobody has the right to call themselves God!" Yuuki exclaims slamming her sword, knocking the figure back as the blue aura surrounds it. There she takes the initiative of letting out as many attacks as she possibly cans before being smacked away but the figure's shield. 'The window is shorter compared to the others?'

"You blasphemer! You dare attack against the one that rules supreme!" The knight yells out in anger, something that seemed both, genuine and fake.

The knight rushes towards Yuuki while she's still mid-air slicing her a few times as she sprouts her wings to gain some stability to minimize the number of hits she took. Her health was already yellow from the other fights as it falls to orange, as she starts dodging the blows mid-air with her speed, trying to zoom in for slices only to be blocked.

Her blade engulfs in purple light as she slams her sword at the massive knight, as the blue aura surrounds him once again. She stabs with her Mother Rosario OSS, doing about a fifth of their health before they were able to recover. The knight jumps into the air and bashes Yuuki, trying to crush her as her HP slowly drops. Once she was in the red, the knight pulled back and swung their sword to deal the finishing blow.

"Spend your time in hell!" The knight swings their sword, only to have Yuuki barely dodge it before drinking a potion raising her health back to yellow.

"There's only one God. And the one you worship is definitely not him!" Yuuki lets out a smug smile as she raises her sword to face her foe.

"Hmph. Your faith has been sealed with those words. I will make sure that you all burn for what you say." The knight says as a red aura surrounds him. He throws away his sword and shield and runs towards a broken pillar and picks it up, wielding it against Yuuki.

"Eh?! What the hell is with this guy!? Is he actually a player?!" Yuuki questions to herself, thinking about the blue aura. "Wait a second… Is he an NPC boss?"

"..." The knight places the pillar next to him. "So you figured that out… that I'm an AI?"

"Wait. You're actually an AI?" Yuuki questions as the knight nods.

"My name is Terrovax. I'm an artificial intelligence, just like your comrades, Strea and Yui. I was created for the sole purpose of protecting this temple and its secrets from those who are trying to infiltrate this place." The knight known as Terrovax states. "However. Now that I told you, my role in all of this. I cannot allow you to leave here alive."

"If you're an A.I., you know that killing me won't result in anything. I could be resurrected or respawn in a safe zone! So I don't see the point here." Yuuki doesn't let her guard down even though Terrovax had a rather calm expression.

"Figured… You, humans, are rather simple-minded." Terrovax grabs hold onto the pillars and ready himself, facing Yuuki. "As you will come to see. Your fate was sealed… the moment you entered these ruins."

"I'm not just going to just let you kill me!" Yuuki yells out as Terrovax charges straight at her. Terrovax swings the pillar with speed that made Yuuki only able to dodge the heavy blows coming after her. She dodges a few more times, easily dodging the slow strikes from Terrovax. Suddenly a blue aura surrounds Terrovax which Yuuki easily takes advantage of.

At this point, Yuuki understood the process has become rather linear when it came to fighting these new foes. She had to patiently wait for her opponents to attack until a blue aura engulfs her. Only then is when she is able to do actual damage.

Yuuki uses Vertical Square to knock Terrovax back to give herself a bit of breathing room from all of her dodging before starting her own assault with her blade. She was only able to attack for about 10 seconds, doing a tenth of Terrovax's health bar. She had to jump back as Terrovax started to attack again. He throws the pillar at Yuuki, forcing her to dodge away, only for Terrovax to speed in with his discarded blade and slashes her in the chest bringing her health to red again. A few slabs of the wall fall and lands on Yuuki bringing her health even closer to death.

'Dang it… I can't move.' Yuuki struggles to move the heavy stones off of her. Terrovax slowly makes his way towards Yuuki with his sword ready.

"I told you. Your fate was sealed the moment you entered these ruins. When you awaken… It will be an honor to have you on our side." Terrovax chuckles as he stabs Yuuki into the chest as her health slowly drops ever closer to zero.

'What do you mean by that?' Yuuki questions to herself as she explodes into pixels. Terrovax looks at the small ember that remained only for a bright light to surround the ember.

"What?" Terrovax questions as the ember start to take form once again. Yuuki opens her eyes to see herself standing over the stones that were holding her down. "I killed you! Your hp dropped to zero! So tell me, how you are still alive?"

"That would be my doing!" Terrovax looked over to see Leafa standing at the entrance of the room with a smug look on her face. "A Sylph?! So you used a resurrection spell with your ally. Very well. The end is no different! Once I kill you two, my work will be done!"

Terrovax leaps towards Leafa with insane speeds, only to be countered by Yuuki.

"You caught me off-guard during our last fight! That wasn't fair at all!" Yuuki pushes Terrovax back while readying her sword. "You fight better than most ALO players that I've met… With the stats of a Boss Enemy. I'm going to defeat you now!"

"Hmph. Then I will defeat you again and take care of your companion." Terrovax readies his blade, pointing it at Yuuki.

"Nexus told me about the situation. I can't help you anymore, but good luck. I'm going to go check out that door." Leafa sprouts at her wings. Yuuki nods slowly, getting into her fighting stance. Leafa flies closer to the door with Terrovax trying to intercept her. Yuuki jumps in the air and slams her blade, making Terrovax defend himself.

"Impudent brat!" Terrovax pushes Yuuki away before turning around to see the door opening in front of him.

"What the heck is all of this?!" Leafa walks into the door to see six pedestals sitting in a room that looked too technologically advanced for the genre of the game. She looks around to see a pedestal that each look like a weapon of a certain shape could be inserted into. "This cannot be part of Alfheim Online… What the heck is this place?"

"I definitely cannot let you live after this. You have seen way too much!"

"It's rude to turn your eyes away from an opponent!" Yuuki stabs multiple parts of Terrovax's back while he was looking away. While the damage was very small, it caught his attention as he charges straight at Yuuki. He lets out an onslaught of slices, moving his feet forward, bringing him closer to Yuuki, not giving her enough room to dodge or block properly.

Yuuki was constantly on guard before starting to attack even though the blue aura didn't surround her foe. Each attack that was lashed out at Yuuki was either blocked or parried. This helped Yuuki keep her footing as she starts pushing Terrovax back. The aura surrounds him with one parry as she unleashes a fierce combo, wasting no time at all before activating Mother Rosario. She stabs multiple times up in front before jumping over Terrovax, stabbing more around the head area before unleashing the final blow charging her strength before unleashing it at Terrovax knocking him into a wall with only a sliver of health left.

Yuuki walks over to Terrovax and points her blade at his neck. Terrovax grunts as he looks up at the swordswoman. "Tsk. You bested me. Hurry up and kill me. I'll die and never return."

"Before all of that. You're going to explain exactly what was in that room? What was the significance of it that you had to protect it? Where can I find this so-called "god" of yours?" Yuuki questions.

"... Very well." Terrovax adjusts himself. "That room is a room that possesses an item that is meant as a backup in case something were to go wrong."

"Exactly what is going to go wrong?"

"I was not given that information… Nor where my lord is located. However… You saw the items slots?" Yuuki slowly nods. "Those are called… The Infinity Weapons. There are six weapons that my lord has made. A few people have fallen victim to this… with real-world injuries."

"Real-world injuries?!" Yuuki exclaims before Terrovax takes out a piece of paper and hands it to Yuuki. "This is the locations of where they are… Honestly. He expected that Nexus was going to be able to defeat me. He wanted to confront him."

"Confront him…" Yuuki reaches for the paper as Terrovax reaches forward stabbing himself. "What are you!?"

"I do not want the suffering for my failure… At least with this. I have comfort." Terrovax says before exploding in pixels. Yuuki was taken back by this as Leafa walks over to her.

"Yuuki…" Leafa comments.

"He was like a human being. With emotions… fear, pride, frustration. He was like Yui and Strea. It feels… like I just killed someone." Yuuki drops down to the ground, letting out heavy breathes with Leafa dropping down to help her friend. "Eugh... I feel like puking. I don't know how to feel..."

"I know it hurts. Take a deep breath." Leafa pats Yuuki's back to help calm her. Footsteps could be heard walking into the entrance of the cave. Both of them look over to see Nexus slowly walking to the two while leaning on Stream. He had one leg and one arm which baffled the two.

"What happened to you?!" Yuuki exclaims with Nexus chuckles.

"They got backup… All the mobs got backed up by stupid players… And let me tell you. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Strea." Nexus lets out a sigh as Strea lays him on the wall. "Thanks, Strea. You've been a big help for me."

"It was nothing. I'm just glad that I came when I did." Strea smiles.

"Yeah. Once Strea saved me for a bit. I gave Leafa a quick message to come help you." Nexus says with Yuuki nods slowly.

"Yeah. I revived Yuuki while she was fighting some boss." Leafa states.

"His name was Terrovax. He… was like Strea and Yui. An A.I. that was self-aware of their predicament." Strea was taken aback by this, seeing as there was more like her. "Then Leafa and I found something from him? A map of other people like him."

Yuuki quickly explains what she learned from Terrovax. She opens up the map to reveal locations in the main overworld of Alfheim Online, with two locations being in locations that no one knew of.

"There are four of them… We should tell this to the others." Leafa states with everyone nodding in agreement.

"Then let's go meet with Kirito and the others!" Strea said picking up Nexus under her arms suddenly.

"Oi oi! Strea! What the hell are you doing?! Put me down!" Nexus yells out before being carried away. Yuuki and Leafa couldn't help but smile a bit before following the two.

* * *

 **Wassup my homies! This is NexusMHX here with another chapter of Facing Oneself. So I somewhat made this chapter have Yuuki be the priority of this chapter. And just to let you all know this, Yuuki only lost at first because she was low on health, to begin with. She would have won otherwise. There will be more to think about in the next chapter. So yeah. This arc has a special battle system that takes countering, dodging into consideration. It may be less realistic but prolongs and intensifies the fights. In any case. I already made this chapter longer then it needed to be. This is NexusMHX signing off! Stay Classy!**


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